In the Shadow of the Prophecy
by The Winged Tormentor of Ra
Summary: I'm not dead! a mysterious girl transfers into Yugi's class, it must be fate, because she's holding the 9th millennium item
1. Ch1 The New Transfer Student

_The Egyptian book of the dead_

_Describes the trails of a lost soul_

_For when a soul loses its name_

_It can no longer speak to the gods _

_Doomed to roam the earth_

_Until it can achieve its destiny_

_Broken off from the light _

_And staying one step ahead of the dark_

_The soul slowly falls out of memory and time_

_And falls into..._

**In The Shadow of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, I wish I did, but I _do_ own Carmen and she's pretty awesome as well as the millennium tiara. I also don't any of the song lyrics.

Chapter one - The New Transfer Student

_Crashed on the floor when I moved in_

_This little bungalow with some strange new friends_

_Stay up too late and I'm too thin_

_we promise each other its till the end_

_Now we're spinning empty bottles_

_Its just the five of us_

_With pretty eyed boys girls die to trust_

_I cant resist the day_

_No, I can't resist the day_

_Vanessa Carlton_

-CCC-

It was a warm, sunny morning in Domino, the kind of day no teen wants to spend in school. Unfortunately... or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, that's just where this story begins.

It was eight-twenty AM and just before the bell, Te'a and Tristen were in their seats when Joey strolled in. " 'Ay, where Yugi " he asked curiously, leaning against one of the desks.

" I think he stayed home " answered the blue-eyed girl" He just got discharged from the hospital yesterday, you know Joey. I think he's still recuperating ".

" EEYYAAY " a girl with long brown hair came squealing in, running over to her other two friends ; a brunette with shoulder length hair and another, more portly one with very short black. " Hey there's a new student transferring into our class " she chirped merrily.

" Sheesh, its a big yea' for transfa' students, huh " remarked Joey offhandedly.

" Really " beamed her generously proportioned cohort.

" Uh-huh, I saw her " said the first girl" she _so _cute ". The girl continued to gossip until the teacher came in with his briefcase and set it at his desk. Walking to the board, he cleared his throat and announced :

" Good morning class... now as you've probably already heard ; we have a new student joining our class, all the way from Cairo Egypt ".

Taking her cue, the new student brushed in softly and gave a swift bow. She absolutely endearing at first glance, petite and a little on the skinny side with pallid crimson (pink) hair braided down to her waist and fierery orbs of polished amber. " You may take your seat " the teacher directed. The girl nodded and looked around the classroom uncertainly.

" Hey, new girl, over here " called the three girls that were gossiping earlier, pointing to an empty seat by them. Relief spread across her face as she took her seat and class began.

-CCC-

/_ You're suppose to be _recovering_ aibou _ scolded Yami as his young light lugged a large box of various games back to the storage room / _so shouldn't you be resting _/.

" I'm fine, its just... " he replied restlessly" I have to do...something ". The gaming king sighed, his little light had been fidgety all day. Yugi disappeared back into the storage room and emerged with yet another monstrous box, this one full of "Monster Fighter" merchandise.

Ding, ding.

The box's large proportions made it impossible for the teen to see infront of himself, though hearing the bell jingle he knew someone came in. /_Aibou, beware of ..._ . WHAM! Yugi suddenly found himself sprawled on the floor, under the cardboard box he'd been totting, as well as a pile of plastic creatures and fighting guns, but what the hell had he run into?

" Oww my head" winced another, feminine voice, he pushed the box off and dug himself out. The person he'd run into was rubbing her forehead, at first she looked about eleven, or twelve with strawberry pink hair pulled back into a braid, but he looked again and realized she was wearing the same high school uniform as the girls at his high school.

" Um, sorry about that " he apologized meekly, standing up and extending his hand to her" are you okay ". She took his hand and he pulled her up.

" Don't worry, It's okay" she replied" I mean I'm okay. I mean uh… " the girl smacked herself in the head with her hand chanting something like " stupid, stupid, stupid..." under her breath. Yugi laughed softly as he kneeled down to pick up the plastic commodities, the girl bent down to help him when the boy caught a glimpse of her headband. It was golden and appeared to be more of a tiara with the eye of Horus boldly embellished in the center. _ A... millennium item ?_ he thought blinkingly _No way !_ .

Once the whole fiasco was cleared up, Yugi returned to the counter" Hey you guys carry Duel Monsters cards here right " she inquired.

" Yeah, there over there, with the other playing cards " he told her, he'd grown to know his grandfather's game shop like the back of his hand" would you like me to show you some strong cards, or a beginners deck building guide ".

" Oh, I'm not a beginner " she said with slight amusement as she laid two booster packs down.

" How long have you played " Yugi asked with casual curiosity.

" Well " her amber eyes became distant, as if remembering some thing painful" a long time ".

" Oh okay" he smiled easing off the subject" six dollars and twenty cents ". She lay the money down and took the booster packs, making her way to the door. Before she left though, she turned back :

" I like this store, I think I'll come back sometime " she told him with a fleeting smile.

-CCC-

/_ A millennium item on her forehead, huh_ / echoed the spirit of the puzzle thoughtfully as the two sat in Yugi's room that night / _Is it possible she was the one who tried to steal the millennium puzzle from us ?_/.

" I don't know...maybe, I guess its possible " admitted the youth" but she doesn't seem like the kind of person to do that ". Silently the spirit agreed, unbiddenly he felt drawn to the girl for some strange reason.

-CCC-

The next morning, Yugi came into class, his friends were sitting in a circle and when they saw him, Joey jumped up jubilantly and hollered" Yo Yug' " across the room.

" Hey guys " he greeted with his usual smile and headed over to them" What's up ".

" Not much here " said Tristen.

The bell gave a shrill ring and the student took their seats as the teacher began his lesson. Suddenly footsteps raced hurriedly down the hall and a student slid by the door. She reappeared, it was the new girl, breathing heavily " I'm sorry...I'm late " she wheezed, handing him her admittance slip and going to her seat.

_Wait a minute! That's the girl that came into the shop yesterday_ he realized doing a double take in surprise.

There was no mistaking it was the girl from the day before, the golden circlet on her forehead with the millennium symbol was all the proof he needed. If it really was a one-of-a-kind Millennium item, there was noone else that _could_ wear it. Te'a saw him looking at the pink-haired girl" Oh yeah, you don't know her " she said" that girl just transferred in yesterday ".

The bell rang for recess" _Aww_, I _love_ your hair " squealed one of the fan-club girls" It's _so_ pretty ". They had pulled her hair out of the braid and were doing all sorts of crazy stuff with it, though the amber-eyed girl look less than thrilled. She actually looked like she was being tortured and had no chance of escape. She saw Yugi and mouthed the words 'Please save me'.

" Hey, um, you " he called, / _Oh wait, I don't know her name_ /.She excused herself from the gaggle of girls and over to their foursome, looking relieved. /p 

p " Hi " she said" Thanks for, uh, saving me back there ".

" Any time " replied Yugi as she sat down on the top of one of the desk" I'm Yugi Motou, these are my friends ".

" I'm Te'a" .

" Tristen's the name, its a pleasure to meet you ".

" An' I'm Joey Wheeler " said the blonde, thumbing himself exuberantly.

" My name's Carmen Seraph " she told him" nice to meet you ". The other members of the group took turns introducing themselves :

To Be Continued ...

Author Commentary -

**Monster Fighter** - If you read the _manga_ this a game in the beginning of volume six, and its kinda like that old boxing game with the red and blue guys, only portable.

_Aibou_ - For anyone who doesn't know, (which must be very few of you, cause you guys are such a intelligent group of readers) this is Yami's sort of 'pet name' for Yugi in the original Japanese and it means "partner". In return, Yugi calls Yami _mou hitori no boku_ which means "another I", or "other me", but I don't use that.

-CCC-

What do you think of my revised version ? I did a little nip and tuck and some adding and subtracting in places.


	2. Ch2 Challenge From Leto of The Dark Rob...

**In The Shadow Of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - I don't own Yugi-Oh!...damn

Chapter two - Challenge from Leto of the Dark Robe 

_Stalemate!_

_And you don't know_

_I am notorious for finding_

_Weakness in anyone too confident_

_I see the start of your decent_

_Music to Duel By_

-CCC-

" So you play Duel Monsta' too " said Joey as the five teens walked home that day, Carmen nodded" 'Ay, why don't we all bring our decks ta-morra', den we can all duel ".

" Sure, sounds like fun " agreed Te'a.

" Its settled den " confirmed the blond as they went their separate ways" See ya ta-morra' ".

The blue eyed brunette waved good bye to her friends as she headed towards home by herself. She was so thrilled to have a new friend joining their little group, being the only girl among the guys had some drawbacks. Not many of the other girl wanted to hang out with her since she hung out with Joey and Tristen. Now that Carmen was in the ranks, maybe she could help keep the testosterone in check.

" Hello " said a girl, about her age with long, wavy brown hair and icy blue eyes, sauntering up to her casually" You wouldn't happen to know a duelist by the name of Yugi Motou, would you ".

She started to say yes, but stopped mid-syllable, something about the adolescent disturbed her" Why do you want to know " she inquired. The other teen's rogue lips twisted into a smirk.

" I want to duel him " she replied, suddenly two muscley flunkies grabbed her from behind" and now that I have one of his little friends, there's no way he'll turn me down ". A fist connected with the back of her skull and the world went dark...

-CCC-

/ _Aibou _/ echoed the spirit's voice through their link.

_ Yeah Yami _?he replied. The spirit's half of the link became quiet as he struggled to put his thoughts into words _Yami, is something bothering you _?.

The spirit didn't get a chance to reply, because a duel monster card suddenly came flying out of nowhere, Yugi hastily stepped back as the it struck the ground at his feet. " What the ..." he started to say.

" Are you Yugi Motou " asked a deep feminine voice, Yugi looked up to see a young woman, probably about Te'a age with shoulder-length wavy brown hair. Her face was hidden behind a creepy expressionless white mask and she wore a full length black cape adorned with something like rhinestones that made it glitter like the night sky.

" Why do you want to know " he retorted. The cloaked teen brandished a figure, it looked like...no it was... " Te'a " her captor seemed pleased at his reaction.

" If you want her back, then you'll have to duel me " she demanded threateningly" If not, well, I can't guarantee her safety then. You never know, I can be such a klutz sometimes ".

The youth's teeth grated back and forth in an unhealthy manner _Damn, If I refuse, she'll drop Te'a! I guess we have no choice _.

! YU-GI-OH!

" Prepare yourself, whoever you are " snapped Yami venomously" And for dragging Te'a into this, you will pay ". From under the mask he _felt_ her smirking wickedly at him.

-CCC-

" Ready to duel, Yugi Motou " asked his opponent snidely, from the red side of the arena.

" _Oh_ I'm ready " he assured her from the blue" but before we start, tell me _your_ name. Its only fair considering you know mine ".

" I suppose you're right " she answered" very well then; I am Leto of the Dark Robe ".

_Leto of the Dark Robe _?he reverberated mentally... Wait! He _had_ heard that name before! It was almost two years ago at the International Duel Monsters Tournament :

_A young novice and virtual unknown calling herself _'_Leto of the Dark Robe_'_ caused a major upset in the dueling world when she showed up out of nowhere and cut through a fresh crop of regional and continental champions. To this day her whereabouts, personal information and even her name are unknown._

_I don't get it_ echoed Yugi's voice _ Why come out of obscurity just to duel _**us** ?.

/ _I don't know aibou, but one thing is certain_ / replied the spirit /_ We _**will**_ take her down _/.

" LET'S DUEL " !

Yugi - 2000

Leto - 2000

" I'll go first " Yami informed the masked girl, drawing his card. His opening hand looked promising, but he had no idea what kind of strategy his opponent used, hell, he couldn't even remember what kind of deck she used. Well, here's hoping" I summon Celtic Guardian, in attack mode " he informed her" its your turn now ". (1400/1200)

The mask duelist drew a card as well" I'll summon a monster as well ; Lady Assailant of Flames, come on out " she announced. The scantily clad warrioress materialized on the field (1500/1000)" Attack his elf with your flaming dagger ". The Celtic guardian roared painfully as the female assassin thrust her dagger into his chest and burst into a thousand points of light.

Yugi - 1900

Leto- 2000

-CCC-

Unbeknownst to Yugi and Yami, outside of the dueling arena, all of the teevees blipped to live coverage of their duel.

Mokuba was watching '_Dragonball z_' on '_Cartoon Network_' while his brother Seto busied himself with the company when suddenly it switched over to Yugi's duel. He looked around where he was sitting, but the remote was setting innocently on the coffee table, so there was no way he changed the channel by accident." Hey look Nee-san " he beckoned to Seto.(A/N: Yup Mokuba watches Cartoon Network)

" I'm busy Mokuba " he replied callously, without looking up from his computer screen.

" But Nii-san, Yugi's on teevee " insisted the boy" he's dueling someone called Leto of the Dark Robe ". Those two names got the young C.E.O.'s attention and his eyes shot up _What the_... .

-CCC-

Elsewhere, a certain strawberry-blonde teen's television switched to the duel in progress as well. Carmen looked up from the clothes she was folding on the couch with surprise, seeing Yugi on the screen across from a girl wearing a glittering black cloak and a white mask concealing her face _What the hell is she doing_... she thought.

To Be Continued ...

Author Commentary -

_Nii-san_- Slang for 'anii-san' which means "own older brother", or in the dub simply "Big brother". Mokuba and Serenity both use this to refer to their older brothers, Joey and Seto-kun.

**Leto Of the Dark Robe** - This is a titaness from Greek mythology and she one of my favorite figures, that's why I used her name. She's the mother of Artemis (another fav. of mine) and Apollo, she's also in turn daughter to the moon, Cybele. Her name has some underlying meaning in the plot also. Let's see if you can figure it out.

-CCC-

IN THE NEXT CHAPTER : Can Yugi unmask the mysterious Leto of the Dark Robe? What caused this elusive master duelist to emerge from the shadows?


	3. Ch3 Charlatan Behind the Mask

**In The Shadow of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - In an alternate dimension I probably _do_ own Yu-Gi-Oh!... Okay probably not, but a girl can dream right? Either way, in this dimension, I _do_ own Carmen and the infamous Leto of the Dark Robe.

Chapter three - Charlatan Behind the Mask 

_Its time to duel and there's no backing down_

_The power of the cards is where magic is found_

_We've played this game before but never quite this way_

_Its like an all out war with monsters that obey_

-_ Music to Duel By_

-CCC-

" Hey Joey " called Tristen jogging up to the blond on the stairs outside of KaibaLand.

" 'Ay Tristin' " replied Joey.

" Did'ja see it, man, this duel's being plastered all over the city " said the brown-haired teen" Something's not right ".

The blond looked for an overt way in" Sheesh! Why didn't 'e tell us 'e was duelin' some crazy-ass chick ".

" Well, if we don't get inside soon, it's gonna be swamped " said Tristen. Joey agreed, nodding his head, and both of them went inside.

-CCC-

Yugi - 1900

Leto - 2000

_Damn...I need a card to take control of this duel_ said the king of games to himself and drew for it _Hmm, no good, the Beaver Warrior's too weak to destroy her flame assailant_ . Still, it would be sufficient to defend his life points against her assault and layed it face-down on the field.

Leto drew her next card " I summon Fire Princess " she announced as her new creature of fire appeared on the field.(1300/1500)" Lady Assailant of Flames, attack his face-down card, Flaming Dagger Strike ". Stalemate! His Beaver Warrior was revealed, but since Leto's monster's attack points were the same as its defense the two were at a standoff. The masked girl cursed silently to herself _Damn it, I may not have lost any life points, but none of the monsters on my side of the field have enough attack points to destroy his Beaver Warrior_ . " I end my turn " she said irritably.

_Alright Beaver Warrior's not gonna last too long before she summons something strong enough to destroy it, so I need a strong card now_ thought Yami as he drew another card from his deck _YES _. " I summon Curse of Dragon and its two-thousand attack points dwarf your lady assailant's fifteen-hundred " said the crimson-eyed duelist" Go Curse of Dragon! Dragon Flame ". The warrioress crossed her arms infront of her face to fend off the assault, but the flames enveloped her and with a yowl she was obliterated. " I play one card face down" he added, setting a card in the magic/trap zone" Your move ".

Yugi - 1900

Leto - 1500

_Not bad, he wiped out a quarter of my life points with that attack_ thought Leto, contemplating her next move. She drew her next card _Perfect_ she smirked" Now I summon Two-Headed Fire Dragon " she declared" but that's not all, I play the magic card polymerization to fuse it with Flame Champion, to form Helios, the Champion of Two-Headed Dragon. Now Helios, destroy Curse of Dragon with Firestorm sword ".(2800/2100) Yami shielded his eyes as the flames engulfed his dragon and obliterated it. " I'll play two cards face-down, back to you ".

Yugi - 1100

Leto - 1500

Great, he had no idea she had such a creature at her disposal and now he had two face-down card to worry about too. He drew his card" Ready Leto, because its time for me to take control of this duel " he proclaimed, preparing to execute his move.

" 'Ay Yug' " shouted a voice from the sidelines, getting his attention. The spirit looked up to see Joey and Tristen jogging breathily into the arena.

" Hey man " said Tristen" This duel's being broadcast all over the city ".

Yami facefaulted, looking over at his opponent" What is the meaning of this Leto? Explain yourself ".

" Aww, you're mad" she teased undauntedly" I know I should have told you, but I thought you thrived under pressure ". An air of smuggishness surrounded her and it was starting to get on the spirit's nerves.

_I think its time to give Leto a lesson in manners _they decided in concert" I summon Gaia, The Fierce knight" he declared, laying the card on the table" and " he added, turning over the card he'd had face down" I bring back Curse of Dragon with Monster Reborn. Next, I play polymerization to fuse them into Gaia, the Dragon Champion ".

" Your dragon champion only got twenty-six hundred attack points, in a head to head attack mine will turn it into shish-ka-bobs " said Leto confidently.

" Not when I activate Invigoration to raise his attack by five hundred points " said the spirit. Beneath the mask, Leto face-faulted in horror.(3100/2100)

" Oh no, its stronger that my Helios " she cried with dismay.

" Yes, now take flight, my Dragon Champion and dispatch Helios with your double saber " commanded Yami.

Leto chuckled deviantly" Or is it " Yami realized too late, he'd fallen into a trap as his opponent revealed one of her face down cards. Reinforcements" This raises Helios's attack by five as well " she informed him.(3300/2100) The warrior on the two-headed dragon launched forward and sliced the dragon champion in half with ease.

" Oh no, my dragon champion " he grimaced as the two halves of his monster burst into thousands of digital bits.

His opponent wagged her finger at him with a cool taunting tut-tut sound" You didn't really think it was that easy to wipe _my_ dragon champion did you " she scoffed" some King of games ".

Yugi - 900

Leto - 1500

The cloaked duelist drew her next card from her deck _Yes, this is just what I needed_ she said to herself _I can easily wipe out the rest of Yugi's life points with this, but I still haven't done what I came here to do_ . There was no reason to prolong the suspense" Its over Yugi, I play " ...

He never found out, because a card came out of nowhere and struck the masked girl between the eyes. The mask cracked in half, revealing a hazel-eyed teenager. The jagged pieces fell to the ground, shattering into even smaller pieces. Leto's eyes were wide with shock and glass over, the card that smashed the mask fluttered down, landing on the table.

" 'Da hell is dat " gaped Joey.Yami and Tristen looked up to see a huge red kanji manifested in the center of the playing field.

I

M

P

O

S

T

E

R

_Imposter_ ?he said to himself _Then she's a... fake_ ?. Suddenly 'Leto' gave a bloodcurdling, seizing her head in her hands. Catching the boys' attention, then she simply sunk to the ground, unconscious.

To Be Continued ...

Author Commentary -

**Helios, Champion of Two Headed Dragon **- Pyro (fusion) 2800/2100, okay, it doesn't really exist, but I needed a strong monster for Leto's deck. Not bad, huh?

**Charlatan **- save your trip to the dictionary, this word is English and its just another word for " imposter " which the fake Leto was.

-CCC-

Please read and review.


	4. Ch4 A Friend in Need

In The Shadow Of The Prophecy

Disclaimer -If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh! Yugi and Yami would be mine. Bakura, his yami and Malik would be my sister's and Tea would be eaten by a horde of rabid Kuribohs. Sadly, life is horrendously unfair and they don't, I don't even own the song lyrics below, but Carmen is mine.

Chapter four - A Friend in Need 

-CCC-

Joey's golden-brown eyes stared fixatedly over his hand, Tristen waited for friend to make his next move. A gleam stole into the blond's eyes as he played his next card" I summon Avril Lavigne an' I'll 'ave her bitch slap your Brittany Spears " he said, next he sat another card down behind the first" Then I activate Opps I Did It Again and attack your nude points directly ".

" Hey, what the heck are you guys playing " inquired Te'a, having recovered from being kidnapped the day before and was craning her next over to see what the hell they were doing.

" Yeah, that doesn't sound like Duel Monsters " agreed Yugi. The two rushed to cover up the cards before the others saw them.

" C'mon, let us saw them " argued the blue-eyed girl, trying to snatch a few, which was easier said than done since both Joey and Tristen were guarding them ruthlessly.

" Yeah, whats so secret you have to keep it from us " chimed his spiky-haired best friend.

" Its nuthin', really " said Joey trying to wave it off. While the boys were preoccupied, the were oblivious to the fifth member of their group who'd walked up inaudibly behind them. Carmen picked up one card and looked at it :

" AHH " she yelped painfully, seeing the image of a nearly naked Christina Aguilera (A/N: as if those are hard to find)" It buuurrnns". She dropped the card, feigning to scratch her eyes out with her fingers. The four whipped around as the some of the girls scolded Joey and Tristen :

" Are you trying to corrupt Carmen with your dirty card games ".

" Your guys are such pigs! Te'a, how can you stomach them ".

" I ain't tryin' ta corrupt no one " snapped the blond defensively, taking the card from the floor where Carmen had dropped it and put the perverse deck in his pocket. Tristen followed to suit.

" Are you okay " Yugi asked his amber-eyed friend.

She nodded in reply, but failed to return eye contact" Yeah, just give me a minute to wash my brain " she said. Yup, she was gonna be alright, he confirmed to himself.

-CCC-

" Hey boss, look over there " said a male student with claret colored haired that was cut short and slightly messy.

" They're just a couple of high school kid, they ain't got nothin' worth anything " said his boss, a lean, muscular man with slicked-back, black hair.

" But take a peek at what they're packin' " said the crony, indicating to the shimmering headband worn by the girl and the oddly shaped pendant worn by the boy. This peaked the black-haired man's interest, if it wasn't costume jewelry of course.

" Flank 'em " he told his underling" we'll push 'em into the alley ". The red-haired teen nodded and took off, meanwhile the black-haired man pulled out a pistol and loaded it, going the opposite way to cut their targets off.

Yugi and Carmen had reached the corner of the street where their ways home diverged. She turned to leave when he called after her" Hey Carmen, Joey, Te'a and Tristen are coming over to my house on Saturday, do you wanna come ".

The pink-haired girl thought about it for a moment, she didn't really have anything planned herself" Sure, why not " she replied smiling" where's your house ".

" The game shop, we live upstairs " he told her.

A hand settled on Yugi's shoulder intimidatingly" 'Scuse us small fries" said the hand's owner" but we've lost our wallets and we need to call our moms ". A second young man joined the first, flashing a nine millimeter handgun at them.

" Now be good and step into the alley " he directed coolly. The four backed tensely into the deserted, dead end. The boss eyed their items with a greedy gleam in his eyes '_ Heh, looks like real gold _' he said to himself. " Hand over the headband" he ordered the boy" and that funny necklace of yours too ".

/ _Aibou ?_/ came Yami with his impeccable sense of timing, having sensed the alarm from his partner's end of the link. Through Yugi's eyes he saw the two thugs with the gun and guess what happened. The black-haired man became impatient and grabbed the amethyst-eyed boy's shirt collar" Hey kid, you deaf or something " he growled.

" Just let go already " snapped the red-haired teen, clouting the girl with his fist and ripping the golden circlet from her. Carmen rubbed the sore side of her face, wincing slightly.

_Carmen_ he thought as the puzzle emitted an ominous glow...

! YU-GI-OH!

_I've got that weird feeling in my chest_ said the girl to herself, feeling a cold tingling sensation throughout her body. The black-haired brute grabbed the chain around the youth neck, but the boy's hand came to rest ontop of his own as he met his attacker's gaze. ' _What_ ?' the assailant froze. The aura gravitating around him churning powerfully as the amber-eyed girl watched _I can see the light around him, but... it different than before_ . " Take your hands off me " Yami commanded his aggressor with a tone that hinted severe consequences if not obeyed. Abruptly the young man removed his hands from the youth, '_ What, who's this kid to tell me what to do _?' he thought with a snarl. The spirit smirked" Good, now we can begin the game ".

'_Game? What game_ ?'. Yami took his deck out of his pocket and drew a card ; the Summoned Skull. Both gangsters gaped in shock as an eye manifested on his forehead and brought the monster on the card to life.

" AAHHHH " the two thugs wailed, dancing around lightning bolts from the demon and ran out of the alley screaming like little girls.

" Hmph, that ought to teach them a lesson " he decided satisfied with showing their attackers what was what. The crimson-eyed teen turned on his heels to his friend, who was hiding behind the industrial-sized dumpster, " Carmen ". He stretched his hand out to her, Carmen looked at him uncertainly with something akin to fear in her golden eyes and pulled away. _This guy...he isn't normal_ .

Yami couldn't understand why she pulled away, did she think he would turn on her? Was it the shock of seeing his shadow powers" Carmen, its okay, I protected you ". He extended his hand to her again, but she was still eyeing it as thought it were going to grow fangs and bite her. Then, slowly...tentatively she reached out with her own hand poking his with her finger to test it. The spirit smiled and grasped her hand, pulling her to her feet. " Here" he added, putting the circlet in hands" you should take better of this ".

" Uh-hm, yeah " she replied absently with a nod, the two teen stood in silence for what felt like forever, " well, um, I see you Saturday then " and left hastily. Yami watched her turn the corner and disappear /_ Do you think we were too forthcoming_/ he asked his light.

_Yeah, she looked really scared_ replied Yugi from inside of him.

/ _I apologize_/ said the spirit / _I shall refrain from using my powers infront of your friend since it seems to upset her_/ .

To Be Continued ...

Winged Tormentor :Another chapter bites the dust and now, since I liked this: its time for joke time With Carmen and her Yami!

-CCC-

Carmen : Hey, how many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb?

Yami Carmen : (mildly interested) I don't know, how many ?

Carmen : One, but the lightbulb has to _want_ to change.

Yami Carmen : ARE YOU CALLING ME CRAZY !

Carmen : Nooo, but if the shoe fits

Yami Carmen : Fine, whatever, carry on.

Carmen : How many Dark magicians do you think it takes to change a lightbulb?

Yami Carmen :(still aggravated) I don't know.

Carmen : Me neither!

(uncomfortable silence ensues while Carmen thinks of something else)

Carmen : How many Joeys does it take to change a lightbulb ?

Yami Carmen :(sardonic laugh) Ha! Are you kidding? Even if there was a _hundred _of them they'd _never_ figure it out! We'd just be standing there watching the horde of Joeys rack their brains for the answer!


	5. Ch5 Black Sheep

**In The Shadow Of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, I own Carmen thought(turns to guys in blacksuits) Am I free to go ? (MIB wannabes : Yes you're free to go)

Chapter five - Black Sheep 

_There was a man in car tying to talk to me,_

_Drove a Pontiac, red, 1963,_

_Shouting numbers and neighborhood streets,_

_I said, _"_ I wouldn't know. I wouldn't know ,_"

_And then I said to myself, _"_ What's he lookin' for ?_"

_An illegitimate son with an open door,_

_Or else the calling from God he could not ignore_

_I didn't know, I didn't know_

- _Dakota Moon_

-CCC-

That night, a certain blond haired teen sat, hunched over a ton of homework # _Argh! I can't unda' stand any a' dis stuff_ # he growled aggravated. He seriously regretted sleeping through second hour now, _damn it_, why didn't he think to borrow anyone's notes? He sighed heavily, getting up and headed into the kitchen for something to soothe his parched throat. The refrigerator was pretty much bare, with the exception of a carton orange juice and his old man's booze. Joey opted for the OJ and started chugging it right from the container.

BBBRRRIIIINNNGGG!

BBBBBBRRRRRRIIIIIGGG!

" Yeah, yeah, I'm comin' " he mumbled, picking up the receiver" Moshi-moshi ".

" Hey Anee-san " came the voice from the other end. Joey's brief annoyance at his homework vanished instantly.

" 'Ay sis', what's up " he asked keenly.

Well, I gonna get my operation " she replied" Thanks to you ".

Joey scratched his head uncomfortably, trying to remain humble" Really ! Awesome " it wasn't really working.

In the background Joey heard the doctors talking, a few second later, Serenity got back to him" Sorry Joey, I have to get off now. Its 'lights out' for patients " she said. Damn quacks bum-rushing their phone call, but there was nothing they could do.

" I unda'stand, I'll see ya soon, promise, 'kay " he told her.

" Okay " she said tearfully" Goodbye ".

" Bye sis' ". The blonde set the phone back on the hook with what was left of his self control and a gave a jubilant " WHOO-HOO " kicking up his heels.

-CCC-

" What do my cards say ".

" Do me, Do me " a crowd of students had gathered around Yugi, Carmen, Tristen and Te'a's little pow-wow. " Hey Yugi, let's read your fortune next " suggested the blue-eyed, brown-haired girl chirpily.

" Alright " he agreed with an eager nod. _ Maybe these tarot cards can give us a hint about who's after the millennium puzzle_ . Joey strolled into the room, whistling contently. He spotted the crowd and meandered over to it.

" Yo guys " he greeted" what's up ".

" Hey Joey " replied Yugi cheerfully" Carmen brought some tarot card, see " he held up the deck of mauve and gold cards he was shuffling for the blond to see before handing them hand back to their owner. The pink-haired girl cut the cards into three piles.

" What a' dey for " he asked curiously.

" They are supposed to tell your fortune" interjected Carmen. She turned over the first card ; it was The moon" this card describes your past, you used to be lonely right ". The amethyst-eyed boy blinked in surprise _ That right, before I solved the puzzle, I didn't have any friends besides Te'a_ . Carmen turned over the next card, the two of wands" This card says you're restless ". She was right again, He was restless, but he hadn't voiced that to anyone, so then how? Carmen noted the surprise shadowing his eyes as she turned over the last, the three of swords. _Anguish_ she realized with shock herself, this wasn't a very good reading. She put on a bogus smile" I think my cards are being mean today ".

The teacher swooped into the room like a hawk, breaking up their circle and starting his lecture. The amber-eyed teen sigh inwardly, relief washing over her _Phew, saved by the bell _ she said to herself.

-CCC-

" Bye " waved Carmen, turning to go home.

" See ya tomorrow " they called after her. Yugi smile failed once she was out of sight _I wonder what the three of swords signifies_ he thought _I guess its a bad thing since Carmen didn't tell us what it meant_ .

/ _Hmm, perhaps your grandfather will have a book about it in the shop, since they are cards_ said his dark side through their link.

_Oh, that's right_ he realized , a spark of excitement igniting inside him _We can check when we get home, Yami _ .

Meanwhile...

A few patrol cars were parked outside of the apartment complex when Carmen got there, but it was a pretty shady neighborhood and there were always cops parked there, so she didn't think anything of it.

_Must be a drug bust, or something_ she decided as she jogged up the stairs to the floor she lived on. Thump! Thump! Thump!

A collection of black suited men were banging...on _her_ door _What the_... she blinked. " Hey, that's the one right ". _Shit_ she cursed silently, they spotted her.

Another, The one in charge, who wore security-detail sunglasses and hair shaped like an antennae, took a photograph out of his breast pocket and cross referenced them" Yeah ". Carmen didn't stick around to hear the rest, she broke off in a full run back down the staircase. The man's subordinates stood there dumbly" What are you waiting for " he barked" Go get her ".

" Yes sir " they yelped fearfully, giving chase. Fortunately the strawberry haired teen had gotten a serious head-start and for once, her petite build worked in her favor. The two men hounded into the area between that and another building, but when they got there, she had vanished into thin air. The two scratched their heads in bafflement and looked at each other.

" Where's the girl " asked there leader impatiently when they rejoined the ranks.

They winced nervously" Um, sorry sir, she got away " they reported.

" See to it you find her, or Mr. Seraph will have your jobs " the antennae-head stipulated fiercely. Car doors slammed and engines roared to life as the patrol drove away.

Once the sound died into the distance, Carmen lift the lid up and climbed out of the dumpster, pulling an overripe banana off her head. _My family is after me_ she asked herself _But how_..._and why_ . She wasn't sure, but one thing was clear ; she wasn't safe here anymore. The longer she lingered, the more trouble she'd fine herself in.

To Be Continued ...

Author Commentary -

**The alcohol in Joey's fridge **- In the manga Joey's dad is a full-time, stay-at-home drunk.(That's probably why Joey and Serenity mom left him) But, like in the anime, he's not really in my story.

**Tarot cards** - These cards are used by some people to predict the future and do fortune telling. I'm not a expert on them, but I do have the Tarot for Dummies book on the chair next to me!

**Tarot card #1**: _The Moon_ - This is the first card in Yugi's reading and as Carmen said, it can represent feeling alone.

**Tarot card #2**: _Two of Wands_ - Signifies seeking change, opportunities and in Yugi's case, restlessness.

**Tarot card #3**: _Three of Swords_ - forecasts Betrayal and anguish, as well as pain and trauma. Not a very nice card to have in your reading.


	6. Ch6 Bad Blood

**In The Shadow Of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - I dno't own Yg-UO-Ih, or the snog lrycis bleow, hwoeevr Craemn and her wohle dyufsnitcnoal fmaily are mnie.Tahnk you.

Chapter six - Bad Blood 

_I'm standing on the bridge,_

_I'm waiting in the dark,_

_I thought that you'd be here by now._

_There's nothing, but the rain,_

_No footsteps on the ground._

_I'm listening, but there's no sound._

_Isn't any one trying to find me?_

_Won't somebody come take me home?_

-_Avril Lavigne_

-CCC-

Two days later...

" _Aww Man_, I lost again " cried a dismayed Joey as a certain brunette wiped out his life points, yet again.(and no, its not Seto)

Tristen guffawed"You _still_ stink at this game ".

The blond growled threateningly at his friend" Can it Tristen ". The other boy only continued to laugh, further infuriating the russet-eyed duelist. In fact Joey was about to clobber him when he realized Yugi wasn't trying to break it up. The teen in question was sitting at his desk with a troubled expression settled on his soft features. " 'Ay Yug', somethin' buggin' you " the blond inquired.

" Huh " the amethyst-eyed boy snapped out of his reverie, focusing on his friend who were all eyeing him concerningly" Yeah guys ".

" Are you okay " asked Te'a worriedly" you've been really quiet ". Yugi wasn't sure what to say. Abruptly, Joey looked around :

" Any a' you know where Ca'men is " he asked.

" Hey that's right" replied Tristen thoughtfully" she not here today ".

" Come to think of it, she wasn't here yesterday either " added the blue-eyed girl thoughtfully.

-CCC-

" HOW MANY OF YOU TRAINED PROFESSIONALS DOES IT TAKE TO CAPTURE _ONE_ TEENAGE GIRL " roared a bleach blond middle-aged man with icy blue eyes, slamming his fist on the desk.

Kemo retreated slightly with his head bowed" Sorry Mr. Seraph " he said.

The man sighed irritably and massaged his temple" keep an eye on the her apartment and the high school " ordered Mr. Seraph" get any information about her social life you can and I want someone stationed at every bus, or train station incase she tries to run ".

" Right away sir " Kemo assured him gruffly, exiting briskly as his employer red-haired wife, Morgana, sauntered in and approached his desk.

" Hey Nicky " she purred"Any word on our dear little granddaughter ".

" Not yet love" replied Nicholas, running his hand through her scarlet tresses with a heavy sigh" She's managed to slip through our finger so far ". The redhead pouted spoiledly.

" We have to take her out of the picture once and for all " she said.

-CCC-

Thunder rumbled as rain fell from the coal black sky, soaking everything on the ground below. Carmen held the useless, sopping news paper over her head for reprieve. Most of the other people were under the shop overhangs and umbrellas, wrapped in ponchos and raincoats. She shivered violently in her water sodden uniform, her once pristine white socks were dingy brown with mud. At some point she'd switched off her loafers with a pair of sneakers, which, now that she thought about it, were soaked too. She spotted a Greyhound station across the street and ran towards it, finally some actual shelter. Carmen flopped onto one of the benches, tossing the newspaper into the wastebasket.

FlAsHbAcK -

" Vincent-nii-san ".

" Hmm " came the languid reply as the girl and the raven-haired male teen lied on the roof. The ten-year-old girl flopped across the older boy's stomach.

" Tell me a story " she requested. The boy sat up with a sigh :

" What story do you want me to tell you " he asked.

The youngster chewed her bottom lip" Tell me about your Mommy and Daddy, what were they like " she said.

" Hmm " he began thoughtfully" well, my Dad was a big man and he had a beard like this " Vincent traced the shape of the beard so she could see" and my mom... well she was born here like us, but she was the real thing with long black hair and eyes like yours ".

" Were they nice? Did your Daddy love your Mommy cause she pretty on the inside too " inquired the amber-eyed child.

" Well yeah, of course " replied the raven-haired teen.

EnD fLaShBaCk -

" Hey I won fair and square " said Yugi" you owe me two burgers ". The two high schoolers were headed to the Kame gameshop before Joey went home himself.

" Are ya sure you n' big Yugi didn't douba' team me " said the blond.

" Oh c'mon, Joey, it was whack-a-mole " laughed his friend as they came to the fast food eatery. " He doesn't like whack-a-mole, that's why you picked it ". Joey grimaced, he'd been found out.

He saw a scene over infront the bus station, some big guys in black suits were wrestling a willowy, pale-haired girl out. Wait a minute... " Yug' ! Dat's Ca'men " he realized and grabbed the other boy by the shoulder.

" Huh " Yugi gaped with confusion.

Joey told him to stay there and ran after the suits...

..." Be a good girl and get in the car " commanded Kemo, while two of his flunkies tried to toss the struggling teen in the back seat.

" Go to Hell " the amber-eyed girl spat in return, continuing to flail.

" 'Ay you" said a tough Brooklyn accent" put my friend down, unless ya wanna deal wit' me ". He cracked his knuckles to accentuate the point, but the two men just scoffed.

" cha-right kid, you don't scare us " they heckled. The blond balled his fists and lunged at them. One shoved Carmen into the other man's arms and took his stance. The Joey and the man traded punches while his partner shoved Carmen into the back seat. The second underling picked up a rock from the ground and swung at the teen with it. Joey managed to evade the underhanded maneuver and the subordinates ended up smashing into each other. # _Dis_'_ is my chance_ # he told himself.

" C'mon " he grabbed the girl's wrist, jerking her out of the black car and pulling her along as he made his getaway.

Kemo chased after them until they got out onto the side walk and disappeared into the crowd. " Damn, Mr. Seraph isn't gonna be happy about this " he grumbled fustratedly.

-CCC-

Fortunately, Yugi's grandfather had already turned in by the time the three of them got to the game shop, so they wouldn't have to explain anything at least. " You should take a bath " said the spiky-haired boy, reminding Carmen that she was a soaking wet, muddy mess. She nodded, he pointed her to the bathroom and left her alone to wash up.

The violet-eyed boy returned from the hall scratching his head absently and collapsed on the couch next to his best friend. " Hey Yug' " said Joey wearily.

" Hey " he replied with a yawn" Any idea who those guys were ".

" Hmm " the blond's brain fell asleep for a moment" oh, Kemo n' his flunkies. Nope ". He notice his buddy's eyelids drooping, he was fighting to stay awake, Joey yawned himself and stretched. " Well, I'm gonna head 'ome now " he said. /p 

" Hmm ..." Yugi looked up" you are ".

" Yeah, its late " he replied waving" See ya ta'ma'row man ".Yugi nodded goodbye, secoming to the sleep in his brain. His friend exited quietly.

-CCC-

He rolled over subconsciously and shivered slightly as the chill air met his bare shoulders. Instinctively he pulled blanket tighter to himself, it was scratched across his skin uncomfortably.

_Lay down your sweet and weary head_

_Night is falling_

_You have come to journey's end_

_Sleep now_

_And dream of the ones who came before_

_They are calling _

_From across the distance shore_

_That voice...so beautiful _ he thought drowsily, was is real, or imagined? Yugi's eyes glazed half open curiously. Blurry shapes of the open window and someone sitting on a chair leaning towards it entered his brain _Yami _ . The spirit had a habit of midnight worrying that the youth had caught on more than one occasion.

_Why do you weep_

_What are these tears apon your face?_

_Soon you will see_

_All of your pain flow away_

" Carmen " Yugi sat up on the couch, the blanket falling away from his body. Her voiced died away sharply and the girl's gaze fell on him alight with panic. " I didn't know you could sing like that ".

" You never asked " his eyes fell on the clothes she'd donned" sorry, I kinda raided your dresser " she said.

He didn't mind.

Her going through his dresser that is. _They look good on her anyhow_ he decided, then he heard chuckling from the spirit's side of the link. Oh no. He didn't...

... He _did_, Yami heard the _whole_ thing. Yugi felt like smacking himself in the head with the pillow. Carmen shut the window and softly padded over to the couch next to him. The violet-eyed teen shook his head wildly to compose himself and turned to face her" Carmen, who were those people" she shot him a questioning glance" The ones who were... that were trying to ...um, uh " well he wasn't really sure what they were doing to be honest.

" You mean the guys that were trying to..._kidnap_ me " she finished for him.

" Well yeah " he nodded.

She sighed softly in thought" Well, I want to say its kinda complicated, but then that would imply that my life was simple and _then_ I'd be lying ". Carmen never met his eyes with her own, she just kept staring of the window steadfastly. " Those men were working for my family ".

" Your family " he cried in disbelief.

Carmen gaze hardened" they're not my real family " she replied crossly" my family died in a fire when I was little, they just took me in ".

Yugi's heart sank in his chest" I'm sorry ".

She smiled" Don't be, I can't even remember them" she told him" so its not like I can be sad about it ".

" So did you run away, or something " he asked. She nodded bitterly" but why are they after you _now_ ".

" Because... they're afraid " she told him" see, my 'family' founded the Seraph Software Corporation " the name sounded vaguely familiar to him" and when I turn twenty-five I receive over half of the company in stock, they're worried I'll dismantle the company to get back at them ".

Yugi couldn't see her doing it, she seemed so introverted" Would you ".

A sad smile" No, I may not like them, but I don't hate them enough to " she replied.

To Be Continued ...

Author Commentary -

**Seraph Software Corporation** - The Microsoft of the Yu-Gi-Oh world, at least in my story anyway. Its run by Carmen's family, but the Seraph are evil and corrupt.


	7. Ch7 Caught in the Crossfire

In The Shadow of The Prophecy

Disclaimer -Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, don't own the lyrics, but Carmen, Vincent, Nicholas and Nicholas's wife Morgana are mine. On with the story...

Chapter seven - Caught in the Crossfire

" Thank you, come again " said Solomon Motou, waving jovially to the child bounding excitedly out the door. His stomach gurgled rather loudly and he checked his watch" Well, now's as good a time to take a lunch break ".

" Hey gampa " his grandson greeted cheerfully, carrying a large box of cards to restock the shelves. His new friend followed behind with a box of similar size and dimensions. After Yugi explained the girl's situation, he had no problem letting her stay until her family problem could be resolved.

" Hey kids, I'm gonna head upstairs for a bite to eat " said the elder Motou.

" Okay grampa, we're gonna restock the cards and then we'll head up " replied Yugi.

" Alright kids " nodded Solomon, trodding up the stairs.

" Thanks Carmen " said her spiky-haired friend as they replenished the Duel Monsters booster packs.

" Its no big deal" Carmen replied nonchalantly" this is the least I could do, considering you're aiding and a-bedding ".

Suddenly the window erupted in a barrage of gunfire" Get down " shouted Yugi, diving for cover as glass fragments spray over them. Shelves and displays fell over on top them from the flurry of bullets. _What the hell_ the amethyst-eyed boy thought bewilderedly. The shooting must have gone on for almost ten minutes, there was a "

sheew!" sound, Yugi gripped his arm tightly with a painful hiss / _aibou _he heard the spirit called urgently thought their link, his arm felt like it was on fire.

" Do you think this is a good idea, boss, firing into a store in the middle of the day " inquired one of the Kemo's underlings.

" Tch " came his unfeeling replied" Mister Seraph said he didn't care whether the brat was brought back dead or alive. So it doesn't really matter, besides these '_friends_' of hers need to learn not to mess with the SSC ". /_ Aibou _Yami called more anxiously when the boy failed to respond / _Aibou, are you alright_ .

The pain in his arm soared to new heights, numbing his mind to the sweet bliss of unconsciousness. _Ya_..._mi_... .

/ _Aibou_ his light's mind had become eerily quiet /_ Yugi, say something_ . Silence. Another of Kemo's minions picked up the boy's unconscious body from under the debris" Hey boss, looks like we hit someone " he said.

" Doesn't look like the girl is here sir" informed the first. Kemo eyed the boy with interest, a plan forming in his twisted mind ; why go _looking_ for the Seraph's granddaughter when they could make _her_ come to _them_.

Kemo smiled darkly with a sly gleam a muscle-bound brute who didn't often have to be clever" Hmm, well I guess we'll just leave the little ragamuffin an invitation " he said" if she ever wants to see friend again ". The three thugs got into their ominous black car with their hostage and drove off.

-CCC-

Uhhhgh ...my head... where...warm all over... thought her garbled mind achily with a groan. " 'Ay I th'nk she's comin' around " echoed a familiar tough Brooklyn accent inside her ears. Carmen's amber eyes opened and focused of the faces now hovering over her, Joey, Te'a and Yugi's grandfather. What happened ? her whole body was sore and she had a splitting headache.

" Carmen, what happened " asked Solomon, as if reading her mind" I heard that racket down stairs and the store was in shambles ". She winced slightly sitting up, she couldn't really remember anything after the gunfire, but she had no doubt who was behind it.

" We thought whoever it was got both of you for awhile " said the brunette" until we dug you out from under all that stuff ".

" Got both of us, what does that mean " she repeated, asking for clarification, feeling panic dance in her gut" Where's Yugi ". She shot up worriedly, was he hurt? Te'a put her hand on the other girl's shoulder and pushed her gently back down.

" You're not going anywhere " she argued" You have a concussion ".Carmen cursed silently to herself.

-CCC-

That night the amber-eyed girl paced sleeplessly in the Yugi's room, _I can't sleep, I have to do something, its all my fault he's involved in the first place_ she decided. Whatever the cost, this wasn't something she could run away from anymore. The tiara glimmered in the moonlight on the nightstand, Carmen picked up her mascot _I could really use some good luck tonight_ and donned it under her bangs.

_It is a mess_ she said to herself looking around the strewn apart shot, glad she was wearing shoes. Glass, splinters and everything else you could imagine and not want in your foot were readily splayed across the floor hap hazzardly. Carmen stepped forward, but she stopped again suddenly, hearing something crinkle under her foot. _Huh? A note_ she picked up the folded piece of paper _If you want you little friend to be released alive, come to the mansion overlooking the ocean at eleven-nineteen Rosewood Boulevard_ she stuck the note in her pocket _I hope they're insomniacs_ .

A gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder, the teen jumped with a start" I 'ope you weren't plannin' on leavin' without me were ya " said Joey.

" Huh ".

" Who're you 'huh'in' " laughed the blonde dauntlessly" Yug' is my best pal, so if yer thinkin' about any crazy rescue mission, ya betta' count me in to ".

Carmen had to crack a smile, hearing him talk with such confidence made her feel a little at ease" Thanks Joey ".

-CCC-

" Eleven-nineteen Rosewood Boul'vard, right " shouted Joey over the howl of the wind as they whipped down the road on Tristen's motorcycle." Ya know, I neva' pegged you as da reckless type ".

" Uh yea " replied his amber-eyed, whiplashedly" Are you Tristen won't mind us borrowing his bike ".

" Nah " the blond said assuredly as they turned around a corner.

The two teens pulled up infront of a large cobblestone mansion, A stone wall encircled the compound and had a line of rusted spikes on the top. Joey scratched his head thoughtfully" I guess we're not jumpin' the fence ". Carmen nodded in agreement, pulling a lock pick out of her strawberry-blonde tresses, the blond blinked in surprise as his accomplice fiddled with the gate's deadbolt.

" Ta-Da " she said, throwing her hands in the air extenuatingly" lets go in ". Joey scratched his head again, this time with perplexment and followed the girl lead into the estate.

-CCC-

Beep, beep, beep.

" What the hell, there's a breach in our security, how did that happen " said Kemo with a shock" give me a visual ".

-CCC-

" Its funny, I thought we'd of run into some sort security detail by now " said Carmen, looking around.

" Don't be so 'asty, Ca'men, we should feel lucky " Joey told her.

Three security guards appeared directly in their path" Stop where you are " they ordered. The two rescuers slowed to a stop, to deal with the blockade.

The pink-haired girl gave a heavy sigh" I _had_ to jinx us ".

" No problem " said the blond with a smirk" Dis walkin' thing was getting borin' anyway ". He charged ahead and clobbered the guards in no time flat. Carmen gaped blankly at the sight" C'mon " Joey pushed on ahead.

" Uh, yeah " she nodded jetlaggedly.

-CCC-

" They got passed our security " barked Kemo in disbelief.

" Uh, it looks that way sir " answered on of his subordinates at the monitor, the leader growled irritably.

To Be Continued ...


	8. Ch8 Trapped in a Deadly Game

In The Shadow of The Prophecy

Disclaimer !sredaer lufhtiaf ym no daer ,ylimaf depraw yldibrom eritne reh dna nemraC nwo od I tub ,woleb sciryl gnos eht ro !hO-iG-uY nwo t'nod I

Chapter eight - Trapped in a Deadly Game 

_Well I couldn't tell you_

_why she felt that way_

_She felt it everyday_

_I couldn't help her_

_I just watched her make_

_The same mistakes again_

_What's wrong what's wrong now_

_too many too many problems_

_Don't know where she belongs_

_Where she belongs_

-_Avril Lavingne_

-CCC-

Yugi moaned painfully, rolling over on the chaise longue in the darkened room. His mind was delirious with pain, his left arm throbbing in time with his heartbeat as he clutched it uselessly to his chest to stop the blood. Every once and a while there would be a twinge in the back of his psyche. The spirit of the puzzle to reach him through the mental link that joined them _Ya_..._mi_... his soul finally gave out, he was too weak to send more.

The slight noise caused his guard, a young man in his early twenties with a gray stocking cap to look up, his sighed a disappointed sigh" Well this sure is boring, here we're getting ambushed and I stuck keeping an eye on you " he carped. The sentry went back to watching the hand held monitoring device.

-CCC-

" Its pretty safe to say my family already knows were here " as they ran down the dark, elaborate halls.

" What? 'chor fam'ly " Joey echoed with surprise.

She looked at him as if he damn well knew what she was talking about" Oh wait, sorry, wrong friend " she said shaking her head and mentally chiding herself" its a long story ".

They kept running down the long corridors #_ Damn, dis place is a maze how're we supposed ta find anyone_ ?# thought the blonde, looking around for some sort of landmark. This place had so many doors it was impossible to navigate, the two of them may be going in circles for all he knew. His amber-eyed ally was looking ahead determinedly" 'Ay, do you 'ave any idea where we're goin' " he inquired.

" I have no idea, I've never been here before " she replied indignantly.

" Whaa " Joey facefaulted, nearly falling over. Carmen felt a twitchy feeling in her chest telling her to turn left.

" This way " she shouted, turning abruptly down another unlit antechamber. The other teen skidded to a stop to follow.

" Hold up Ca'men, where you goin' " he called after her.

" I told you, I don't know " she snapped back. The hall ended at a pair of double doors, Joey threw it open impatiently and the two teens found themselves in a lavish dining room. The blond stepped in intrepidly :

" Hey you no good spineless white-collar bastards " he barked. Carmen entered the dining room cautiously after him.

Once she assured herself there were no booby trap she turned to Joey and said" You know that's my family your talking about ". He ruffled his hair sheepishly and apologized, Carmen nodded curtly. " Besides moronic asshole suits them better ". The blond looked at her with astonishment, did she just swear? He was beginning to like this chick!

Suddenly the lights started flash red and the doors slammed shut # _A trap_ !# Joey realized and tried to pull the doors open. They held steadfastly, much to the teen displeasure #_ Damn, we're trapped_ # .Barricades of steel slid down the exits and soon the entire room was encased in impenetrible metal. The teens slammed their fists on the covered exits fruitlessly. Carmen hit the door along side her friend till her knuckles were raw and sore, but she tired first, resting her fore against the cold steel, sliding to her knees. " Its no use, its too thick " she said defeated.

Joey stopped mid-punch, she was right thought, he hated to admit, but he couldn't give up, there _had_ to some way out of there. A small teevee screen descended from the ceiling with Kemo's smug face plastered on it. The blond felt his blood boil" it seems you've walked right into the fortified steel dining room " he said cockily" In case you already tried I'm sure you've already discovered the walls can't be broken. There's about an hour or two's worth of air in there. Unless you get rowdy, in which case you'll use it up faster ".

-CCC-

" Well, well, this ruins the fun " grumbled the guard idly, seeing the prisoner's liberators stymied. In the background, his detainee moaned painfully again and he made his decision, standing up from his chair. " Looks like its time for a little 'family reunion' ".

-CCC-

# _Only about a half hour of air left_ # thought Joey urgently, pacing around the room, even he knew what that meant" Der's gotta be some way outta here ". he said to himself.

" There isn't " said Carmen somberly, she leaned back and gave the metal wall a tap" This is one-hundred percent titanium steel, so unless you've got a bomb in your back pocket we're trapped ".

Joey punched the wall again" Damn dose suits " he growled angrily. The girl sighed heavily, suddenly her lungs convulsed and she coughed violently.

" Ca'men, you okay " he asked with worry, but his breath went short and he, too, began coughing uncontrollably.

" We're running out of air " she said in-between coughs. Joey's eyes widened as he gasped for breath himself# _Is dis it _?# .

Suddenly there was a great _whoosh_ as the steel barricades lifted a fraction and fresh air rushed in. _Huh_?_ Did the system malfunction_ Carmen and Joey looked up as the metal wall revealed a young man around twenty with crew cut brown hair and green eyes. Carmen's eyes lit up" Jason ".

Joey's eyes shifted from him to his friend with a curious glance" Jason, huh " he said with his usual smile" Guess you're da one to thank for savin' our hides ".

" Yeah, its that hero thing you know " he replied sheepishly" Getting there in the nick of time, by the way, what _are_ you guys doing here in the middle of the night anyhow ".

" Gramp's flunkies kidnapped a friend of ours and he's using him to force me to give myself up " said Carmen.

" Okay dis is where ya lost me " said the blond dim-wittedly, focusing on the petite girl" Why're dey afta' you ".

" Its her inheritance they're after " Jason informed him" the Seraph Software Corporation was founded by my late great grandparents, it was supposed to be divided up among their five grandchildren. However Vincent's father went against the family and his parents disowned him, but our great-grandmother kept him in her will and signed all of her shares of the company over to him ".

" Wait, what happened to his dad " the girl asked without delay once he paused for a breath.

" He died, about ten years ago in a fire, supposedly with the rest of Vince's family, so then _Vince_ inherited everything " said the young man.

Joey leaned down and whispered to Carmen" Who's dis Vince guy ".

" My brother...kinda " she whispered" he sort of adopted me ".

" _Oh_ " replied Joey, though he only understood the gist of it and turned to Jason" So 'ave ya seen our friend? He's kinda short with really crazy 'air ".

" The guys grandfather hired put a kid in one of the rooms back there " He pointed to the corridor behind him" This place is a maze, but it down there, turn left, then right, then left twice and then right again, make sure you follow all the halls to the end and it'll be the fourth door on the right ". Joey repeated the directions to himself mentally so he wouldn't forget them.

" Let's split up " suggested Carmen abruptly, catching Joey by surprise. /p

" Huh why " he inquired baffledly.

" If we split up there's no way they can catch us all at once" she said in a logical, strategic tone, like what the other Yugi" You go find Yugi, 'kay ".

" Sure" he nodded confirmingly" what're you gonna do ".

" I'm going to find my 'grandparents' " she replied flatly. _This is something I can't keep running away from_ .

-CCC-

With their hopes rekindled, the trio split up, Joey went to find Yugi and Carmen along with Jason went to find the Seraph grandparents.

The amber-eyed teen followed her guide as he cut through the kitchen and into an expansive ballroom. " They're up these stairs right " she said jogged up the stairs to the over hanging balcony. Jason followed behind with casual, unworried gate, Carmen glanced back curiously because he was falling further behind" Do you need me to slow down ".

" Nah, you keep going, its right ahead " he replied encouragingly. She shot a concerned glance his way and raced up the remaining stairs, suddenly...

_WHOOOSHHH_ !

Flames rushed up from the floor in a wall, the girl's footing falter in her surprise and fell, rolling back down to the foot of the stairs. She stood, a little worse for ware, feeling the heat of the flames on her face and looked back at Jason. He was holding a remote control and she was confused.

To Be Continued ...


	9. Ch9 Pay Back! Spirit of the Millennium ...

**In The Shadow of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - I don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh! or the song lyrics below, however Carmen, the millennium circlet, the spirit of the circlet, Nicholas, his wife, Vincent and the no-good backstabbing Jason.

Chapter nine - Pay Back Time! The Spirit of the Millennium Circlet resurrected 

_I cannot find a way to describe it_

_Its there inside all I do is hide_

_I wish that it would just go away_

_what would you do, you do, if you knew_

_All the pain I thought I knew_

_All the thoughts lead back to you_

_Back to what was never said_

_Back and forth inside my head_

_I can't handle this confusion_

_I'm unable, come and take me away_

-_Avril Lavigne_

_Last time -_

_With their hopes rekindled, the trio split up, Joey went to find Yugi and Carmen along with Jason went to find the Seraph grandparents._

**_WHOOOSHHH_** !

_Flames rushed up from the floor in a wall, the girl's footing falter in her surprise and fell, rolling back down to the foot of the stairs. She stood, a little worse for ware, feeling the heat of the flames on her face and looked back at Jason. He was holding a remote control and she was confused._

-CCC-

Joey came to the end of the young man's direction and just as Jason told him, there was the door. # _Dis is it_ # he told himself and threw it open. " 'Ay Yug', you in 'ere ".

The room was on the small side and virtually empty except for one of those funny French loveseats and a folding chair. There, on the settee, lying almost motionless apart from the labored rise and fall of his chest. He crossed the room with urgency" Yug', you okay pal ". No, his friend was unconscious and Joey located the affliction ; a gunshot wound in his arm above his elbow. It was completely exposed to the element and still bleeding steadily, a greenish-yellow hue tint the edge of the abrasion. # _I gotta stop da bleedin_ # the blond pulled off his green jacket # _Hold on pal_ #

-CCC-

_What the hell..._ thought Carmen, her eyes relaying to her brain and trying to comprehend what had just happened. " Whats going on Jason ".

" Carmen, do you know why the Seraphs are after you " asked the russet haired young man.

The girl squintched her eyebrows up with irritated perplexment " I thought we covered that already, they're after me cause Vince left his inheritance to me " she replied.

" That's not it, you see, Vince never had to leave behind a will, his inheritance automatically reverted to you " said Jason. _What_ she blinked" Confused? Vince and I were great pals before I whacked him, don't you think its funny that both of your families died in a fire" he snickered, sounding incredibly pleased with himself" The poor guy, his only surviving sibling couldn't recordnize him " /p

" What are you talking about ? Your not making any sense " she said incredulously" what sibling ".

" You Carmen-chan " he replied as if she'd asked if the sky was blue" of course, he never told you, he didn't want you to feel guilty about your amnesia ". The more he talked, the more she felt he was mocking her.

She wasn't wired to handle situations like this (Well, maybe she _was_, but that wiring must have shorted out _years_ ago)" You mean Vincent ... my friend, was really...my brother " she said, pausing at times because her mind wasn't _quite_ able to except what was auditory senses were relaying. Her stomach turned in a strange way" And you... _no_... ".

Jason donned the gray stocking cap, Carmen eyes widened" recordnize this " he smirked, pulling a revolver out of his pocket and training it on her. His cousin was sent mentally reeling from the revelation and her body shut down inwardly as if someone had flip a big switch inside her head, frozen with shock. " Nightie-night cous' " he smiled coldly as he let the bullet fly. /p

Carmen winced, clutching her side, fortunately the wound was shallow. Realizing he'd missed, Jason shifted the gun while she was still shell-shocked and fired another round, aiming for her head.

The teen's body flew from the force, hitting the ground with a sickening _thud_ and remained in a motionless heap on the bottom of the stairs.

Flashback

Vincent smiled at her from his side of the table they were dueling on, after wiping out the rest of her lifepoints, " I win again ".

" What in the good gods, you beat me, " he said in disbelief, then smiled broadly with pride.

Vincent's hands rested gently on her slight shoulder, he gasped and wheezed for air" Carmen, you have to ...get away ... run, " he choked.

" But Vince ..." she began to protest. he gave her a rough shove, knocking her on her back as footsteps clambered down the muddy alley towards them. She scooted out of view a peeked out cautiously as the raven-haired teen confronted the team of thug, led by the man in the gray stocking cap. She turned back pulling her knees and covering her head with her arm, trying to make herself as small as possible. A gunshot rang out _Please let it not be Vince, please god, let him be okay_ she prayed silently.

Cautiously, when all was silent, she emerged from her hiding place. The bad men were gone and the dark-haired teen's form rested upright with his head against the side of the building. " Vince " she beckoned cagily with her tiny voice. When he didn't respond, she crept forward incase he was playing a trick on her, waiting till she came close enough and scaring the life out of her. " Vince " she shook him and still nothing. His face had darkening bruises, a split lip and a bloody nose ; the pale haired girl was just about fed up with this. Why was he not moving" Cut it out, this isn't funny " she scolded indignantly, shaking him harder. The rapid flutter of panic in her stomach rose with every moment he failed to rouse.

End flashback

_I feel like I am all alone_

_All by myself I need to get around this_

_My words are cold_

_I don't want them to hurt you_

_If I show you I don't think you'd understand_

_Cause noone understands (understands) _

_All the pain I thought I knew_

_All the thoughts lead back to you_

_Back to what was never said_

_Back and forth inside my head_

_I can't handle this confusion_

_I'm unable, come and take me away_

Embers of anger seethed and swelled her chest, making her blood come to a boil _Damn them, damn ALL of them! I hate them! I wish they were all dead! They_-_they_ . Tears of frustration formed at the edges of her eyes.

_Du-koom ._

A small shaft of light refracted off of the golden diadem on her brow and the item began to glow dimly. Something pushed her back gently, like a water current into oblivion. Am I dying the emptiness drew closer lulling her into its depths with the promise of amnesty. _NO! I don't want to die_ she protested, fighting back against the 'current', trying to regain control. It was almost as if another _presence_ had decided to take control of her body, all of a sudden, she felt the other presence grab her by the shoulder and hurled her into the darkness.

_SHOOOOOOOOM _

" What's wrong with the security cameras " complained the red-haired woman as their monitor pictures blipped in and out.

" Something's interfering with the signal " replied Nicholas agitatedly adjusting his glasses with his finger. He hit the intercom, patching though to security and told them to fix the problem.

-CCC-

" I-i-im-impossib-ble " stammered the green-eyed young man terrifiedly.

The girl he shot was slowly rising up from the floor to her full height, her icy goldenrod irises captured him in their subjugating gaze. He had to doubletake, she suddenly seemed..._ bigger_, her hair wilder and strange cosmetic swishes that seemed to have materialized out of thin air. She strided casually forward and closed the distance between them" Its time we begin the game, don't you agree _de gozaru ,_" she smirked.

To Be Continued ...


	10. Ch10 Game Over

**In The Shadow of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - I no own nothin' but my original characters.

Chapter ten - Game Over 

_Call me when your down_

_Call me when you need someone_

_Call me when its rough_

_And you think there is no one_

_Until you need me_

_I will, but I will be there_

_-Le Click_

-CCC-

_Hail to you O gods, to you I offer my gratitude_

_At last, I am finally able to return to this world_

'Carmen' brushed aside the bangs causing the muted moonlight to reflect off of the golden article on her temple." I see now" said Jason, regaining his composure" that thing of you forehead intercepted the bullet. Well, next thing I won't aim for your head ".

" I don't there'll be a next time, that I don't _de gozaru _" the amber-eyed teen replied frostily" Now you will play a game with me ".

" A game? Do you think this gun's a toy or something " he said skeptically. The teen pulled a quarter out of her pocket, _BANG_! He expelled another slug, standing two feet away from his mark, but then the bullet abruptly veered of course, swerving around her, as if she had _willed_ it to.

" That was most unsportsmanlike, that it was, your gaming etiquette is atrocious, cousin _de gozaru_" she said with icy indifference. " As I was going to say, I shall flipped this coin and you call out either heads, or tails " she explained" if you call it correctly, I die... however, call it wrong and pay for it with a _penalty game_. Understood ".

" Hey " he began to protest, 'Carmen' flipped the coin, it sailed up into the air and hit the ground, spinning wildly on its edge.

" Call it ".

Jason growled under his breath grabbing her by the collar of her navy blue hoodie and jutting the handgun right in her face" _Shut up_, I'll put a goddamn bullet in your skull " he barked angrily.

Her eyes remained eerily expressionless, without the slightest sliver of fear and continued to hold his own in its unyielding magnetic hold. " I see, heads then, it is _de gozaru_ " she said confirmingly, She looked over at the coin as it rotated it last time and fell one side : tails. " It seems your luck has run out dear cousin, that it has, _de gozaru_ ". The eye of horus on her illuminated on her brow as her gaze shift to the side. The hair of the back of his neck stood on end, as dread spread like wildfire across every nerve of his body.

_Penalty Game : Dragged Down to Hell_

Jason heard a thunderous crack and looked down at his feet and a gaping crevice, sweltering heat and the rancid stench of sulfur wafted up causing him to hack and wheeze. He looked back at his cousin, suddenly ropes of chains shot up from the fissure binding around his wrists and ankles, pulling him down. '_No, someone help me_! _Help please, please I'm begging_! _Have mercy_ !' . His finger grabbed and clawed at the sides of the firery chasm futilely. He looked at the girl pleadingly, she merely stared back apathetically.

_ The chain you see dragging you down, dear cousin, are weighted down by the immensity__ of your transgressions. Nothing can save you now, your fate is sealed_ she thought watching the young man clawed wildly at the air _For those who trespass in my soul pay a heavy price. Hold that in your heart as you fall in the depths of hell_ . She turned to the security camera, malfunctioning from her aura _ Know that I'm coming after you next grandfather_ the camera exploded, she turned and ascended the staircase.

-CCC-

" Damn it " snarled Nicholas, slamming his fist on his desk and picking up the receiver of the video-phone. Morgana cowered in the corner" Security, get down here NOW ".

" They won't come". Nicholas and his wife turned with alarm to see their granddaughter casually enter the room. Her face was set in cold in indiffence as she regarded them. The normally unflinching businessman found himself shivering, the air in the room became abruptly frigid. " Those nipping pups wanted to stop me, so I made them go to sleep for awhile _de gozaru_ ".

" You think I'm afraid of you little girl " he barked, gripping a letter-opener from the desktop. He sent the svelte dagger whirling at her.

_SHU-INK_. the golden-eyed girl caught it with a swoosh of her hand, between her middle and index fingers" So, do you throw knives at _all_ of your grandchildren, or am I just lucky " she smirked mockingly at him. Nicholas growled under his breath, the teen's face unexpectedly returned to the icy expression, now tainted with anger as she stared him down" You vile, loathsome bastard. You have my brother, your own kin, slain in cold blood and all to feed your selfish lust for money and power ". Air swirled around the as the girl's eyes took on a sinister white luminance. Suddenly a colossal looking glass rose up from the floor" Behold your true selves ". Morgana and Nicholas gazed it the mirror, the faces became contorted with horror at what looked back at them :

"_ NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_".

'Carmen' held the dagger up to her eye level, grabbing her grandfather by a wad of white-blond hair" Those who are truly wicked cannot hide their heinous, ugly souls from the mirror of Ma'at " she said coldly" Now, no matter what you do, where you go, all you ever be able to see is the twisted, sickening image of yourselves. Keep it bottled up inside ". She dragged the blade across the man's face, leaving a long, bloody gash. The crimson liquid stained the length of the letter opener, she brought the knife slashing down on his face again and again, more blood splashed on the muted eggshell carpet, yet her fury remained unsated.

-CCC-

# _Damn, Ca'men shoulda gotten back by now_ # thought Joey worriedly # _Yugi needs ta see a docta_ # . He looked over at his friend, he managed to 'bandage' the wound, but even now Yugi's crimson blood had seeped though the green jacket.

The door gave a creaking groan as it opened, the blond whipped around, his fists prepared to strike, it was Carmen... or at least he _thought_ it was her. Something wasn't _quite_ right, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Her face was splattered with blood and as well as the front of her hooded sweatshirt, there was a letter opener in her hand, stained with crimson fluid. " Hey, a' you okay " he asked.

" Yes _de gozaru _" she nodded vaguely, crossing the room to the two boys and kneeling next to her fallen friend. She brushed her hand across his temple" Yugi-kun ". In response, the youth's pain-glazed eyes opened a fraction, she had to act, she decided, unwrapping the makeshift dressing. " Yugi-kun, listen, I can use some of my power to heal you " she told him" but first I have to remove the shrapnel, that I do. So you have to trust me _de gozaru_ ". He nodded weakly, the amber-eyed teen poised the letter opener over his arm. Yugi's eyes followed it worriedly" This is going to hurt " she told him and dug the bullet out _Gomen nasai_ . The boy bit back not to cry out, but pain was unbearable, causing every nerve in his body to scream.

She wasn't for his tears... or the blood, she had to close her eyes and take a deep to resist throwing up. She tenderly pressed her lips to the affliction, a soothing tingle undulating though him. A faint golden glow resonated from the contact, evaporating the pain and sealing up the wound without the slightest indication of a scar.

Finally, the youth thought relieved, he was so exhausted...so tired, he just needed to rest" Yug' " Joey jumped forward, shaking his friend fretfully to rouse him, relievingly, he wasn't dead, just dead _tired_. The blonde hoisted the slender boy onto his back, Carmen strided over to the door ahead of them.

" He's alright, he is, _de gozaru_ " she said warmly" He just needs to rest, tomorrow he'll be good as new ". She went to step forward, suddenly her vision blurred and her body betrayed her, collapsing in a heap in the door. Joey sighed heavily # Guess I'm carryin' em both back # .

-CCC-

Somewhere around the neighborhood of three o'clock, Yugi awoke to the sound of Te'a's voice scolding a certain reskless blond rescuer. " I can't believe you went off like that without telling us, someone could've gotten hurt ". The spirit was leaning rigidly on the edge of the bed in his usual spot, like a guardian. He blink the sleep out of his amethyst eyes and sat up. " _Aibou_ " he said sounding as if a great weight had been lifted, Yugi heard him silently thank the gods.

" Hey Yami " he replied groggily. Yami pressed a finger to his lips and pointed to something on the floor, the hikari, leaned over to see and clapped his hands over his mouth with surprise _Whoops_ . Carmen was slumbering, curled up in a purple and yellow sleeping bag on the floor a couple feet from the bed. Footsteps came down the hall towards them and Yami vanished as Joey poked his head in.(a/n : though we all doubt Joey can actually _see_ ghosts)

" 'Ay pal, you okay " he asked casually, inviting himself in and sitting next to his friend.

Yugi sat up and nodded, he could remember everything that went on last night, it all felt so surreal to him now, lying safe in his bed. " Hey Joey what all happened last night " he inquired innocently, rubbing his arm" I got shot, but I'm now ".

" I'm not sure, eda' Yug' " he replied" Ca'men did dis weird magic thing with some glowy lights and BAM! You were all betta' ". Yugi nodded, somehow understanding the jumbled explanation, it roused a physical memory in the bottom of his chest.

Things got really quiet after that, the teen's gaze shifted over to the two golden objects sitting side by side on the nightstand, glittering in the sunlight.

To Be Continued ...

Author Commentary -

_De gozaru_ - This is a very polite way of ending a sentence in Japanese, Kenshin Himura uses it. This is just another way of differentiate between Carmen and her yami in my story, only Carmen's dark side uses '_De gozaru_' to give her an old fashioned pattern of speech.

**Mirror of Ma'at** - For those of you who read the manga, Shadi used the _feather of Ma'at_( which can be spelled with or without the apostrophe) in volume two. Ma'at is the Egyptian goddess of truth and her symbol is an ostrich feather.

Winged Tormentor : For anyone who's wondering, it _is_ possible to bleed to death from a wound in your arm, because there's lots of arteries and capillaries running through there. Well, see ya next time! Don't forget to review.


	11. Ch11 Torashibu no Nagumo

**In The Shadow of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - If you need to be reminded of what's mine and what ain't, please refer to my first ten chapters. Thank you.

WT : For results of the Character submissions contest please check the end of Chapter Twelve.

Chapter eleven - Torashibu No Nagumo 

_All of the dreams we built up from the ground, _

_They never believed them they just tore them down._

_We rebuild them from the start, _

_We rebuild them from the heart._

_Hoobastank_

CCC-

" You're a saint, I _swear_ ," said Carmen in exasperation as the infamous King of Games swooped in and rescued her from the clutches of the netherworld. The three fan club girls pouted disappointedly in their corner when their living doll was taken away. When the two were safe in the pow-wow of their own ilk the amber-eyed girl reached into her blazer pocket and took out a navy blue confetti deck, " I brought my deck today ," she told them.

" Really ?" asked Joey eagerly, " Can' I see'em ?".

Carmen looked reluctant for a moment but then handed them to him, " Sure ,". the blond thumbed through the sliver sleeved cards exuberantly, " Hey be careful, don't any of them ," she scolded, watching him closely as a hen watches her eggs.

" Yeah, yeah, I won't ," said Joey, " Ay' Yugi, ya wanna look through dese too ?".

Yugi scratched his head modestly, it wasn't his place to say whether it was, or not, he looked at the deck's owner, " Do you mind ?" he inquired, the strawberry-haired girl shook her head. So he began looking them through himself, there were some he'd never seen before and actually a pretty decent amount of rare cards, " You like Angel-class monsters alot, you've got so many ," said the violet-eyed youth, shuffling through the remaining ones. He stopped sharply, his eyes trained on one card, he could feel a poignant tug at his heart, but it was him the emotion stemmed from, it was Yami. _What is it Yami_ ? he asked though their link.

/ _I'm...not sure, but_,_ when I look at that monster_... / he paused a moment to compose himself / ..._It fills my heart with sadness_ / .

Carmen turned head to the side slightly to see what card he was looking so dishearteningly at, " Oh , " she said, resting the tip of her index finger on it, " This is my favorite ,".

" It is ?" he echoed, handing the deck back, she nodded vigorously, " you must be a pretty avid player ,".

She beamed, " Yeah I guess ,".

Unbeknownst to the five teens, another gamer was eavesdropping on their conversation with dripping anticipation and a smile teeming with malice beneath his nose.

CCC-

" Hey you ," came an unfamiliar voice behind her as she was heading back to the class from the lavatory. A hand planted itself on her shoulder firmly, causing her to tilt backwards when she halted.

" Huh ?". The voice belonged to a buff dude with bleached blond hair that spiked straight up, he was wearing a purple muscle shirt with a spider printed across the chest.

" I'm Koji Nagumo, " he said, " I hear you play duel monsters, thought we might have a little match, I'll even let'chu see my cards before we duel ,".

There was a weird twinge in her stomach as she thumbed through his deck and got a feel for his style, but she dismissed it, he hadn't done anything overtly suspicious and let her see what he was bringing to the table before hand, a sportsmanlike gesture _Or just cocky_ she thought unbiddenly.

" Can I see yours ?" he inquired coolly, " its only fair ,".For a moment she hesitated, before taking the cards out of her pocket and handing them to him. _Good girl_ he thought hungrily as he took them from her as shuffled through the cards. _This is better than I imagined ; Raigeki, Invader of the Throne, Magic Cylinder_ , .

" These are pretty harsh cards your packin', I think I'll them off your hands ," he said flat out.

" Sorry, I don't trade anything that in my deck ," she told him, reaching for them back.

" I said ," he repeated, more ominously, " I'll **_take_** them ,". He picked her up by the collar of her shirt and shoved her aside, into a row of lockers.

" Hey !" she protested, grabbing his arm to stop him, " give'em back, Nagumo those cards are mine ,".

The blond shoved the choice cards in his pockets," What makes a pipsqueak like you think you can tell me what to do ," he replied snidely. Carmen cursed silently, Nagumo was easily twice her size and she hated being pushed around because of her petite stature. _Man, I really hate to have to resort to violence _she thought to herself, _But_... she really didn't want to lose her deck.

" Give them back NOW !" Carmen shouted at a volume she didn't even know her lungs were capable of, stomping on his foot with all the strength she could muster. Nagumo, himself, was shock that such a little thing could produce such a massive sound, now he was hopping up and down, holding his foot.

" Why you little ..." he snarl through clenched teeth, pain forgotten, he stepped forward and backhanded the pink-haired girl, mowing her down to one side. With the rest of her cards in hand, he tore each and every one of them into shreds, letting them flutter to the ground in front of her.

" **_NOOOO_** !". Nagumo turned on his heels, cackling hoarsely with satisfaction as he walked away.

" Didja' hear all 'dat noise ?" said Joey, poking his head out of the classroom.

" Sounded like it was coming from down the hall ," said Yugi, following to suit. The two guys went to investigate, seeing a familiar person sitting on the floor amid the shred pieces of duel monster card, " Carmen ?". A crowd had started to gather, by the time they reached her.

" Hey, hey ," said the scruffy blond, moving people out of their way, " Get lost, show's ova' ,".

" Carmen, are you okay ?" asked the violet-eyed boy carefully, he kneeled beside her and picked up some of the shreds to examine. he recordnized them immediately, they were _her_ cards.

" My cards ," she said absently, sounding as though she were about to burst into tears, yet her eyes remained dry. _Can_'_t blame her, if someone tore up my cards _he said to himself _I probably be about ready to cry too_ .

" Who tor' up ya' cards ," asked Joey making a fist, " I'll teach em a lesson ,".

" It was some guy ," she replied hesitantly, " he had really blond hair and a spider on his shirt ,". A red flag went off in Yugi's head, that sounded kind of familiar Wait! That sounds like... Nagumo .

/ _Him again_ / came Yami's voice through their link /_ Apparently he doesn't know when to quit_ / ." Hey Carmen, did he say his name was Nagumo ?" asked the spiky-haired boy.

" Uh...," she recalled it, " yeah, I think so ,".

" Did he tear _all_ of them up ?" he asked, it was impossible to tell if all of them were destroyed or not.

" No ," she replied dejectedly, " he took a bunch of them ,".

Don't 'chu worry ya'self Ca'men, I'll get'chore cards back ," said Joey, " Promise, 'n teach dat bastard a lesson ,".

To Be Continued . . .

WT : Uh-oh, Joey sounds pissed, watch out! Next chapter Nagumo get whacked in the head with his karma.


	12. Ch12 Nagumo Pays

In the Shadow of the Prophecy

Disclaimer - I don't own YuGiOh! or the song lyrics and Carmen says she and Mei belong to themselves.

Chapter twelve - Nagumo Pays 

_So your the kind that deals with the game in the mind._

_You confuse me in a way that I_'_ve never known,_

_You confuse me in a way that I_'_ve never known._

_So break me, _

_Shake me, _

_Hate me,_

_Take me over,_

_When the madness stops, _

_The you won_'_t be alone oh no._

_Savage Garden_

CCC-

Perhaps a more appropriate title chapter would be " This is the chapter that explains why you shouldn't mess with a duelist's deck even if they are small and weak-looking, because they may have a millennium item that gives them supernatural powers, or a friend with such an item inhabited by the spirit of an ancient pharaoh and will send your butt to the shadow realm ", but that would be extremely long winded. Besides there's not enough space up there, so hence " Nagumo Pays " does not mean that this all around not nice guy has gone to the store and bought a candy bar. It simply means that this mean, obnoxious and all around not nice guy Nagumo is going to pay for his crimes.

(A/N : Just me feelin' a little Lemony Snicket-ish)

Nagumo cackled in delight, " Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, I'll be unstoppable with these ,". He cast the silvery card protectors aside and put the stolen cards in his deck box.

CCC-

Joey followed Yugi behind the school to the supply shed, " Ay Yug' are you sure 'e's back 'ere ?".

" Well this is where he was when stole my Monster Fighter ," replied his friend.

" Ay Nagumo! You in dere, you bastard ?" hollered the blond. The white-blond haired teen appeared in the doorframe.

" What do you losers want ," He griped irritably.

Joey clenched hi fist in front of his face, " You stole some of our friend's cards n' we wan'em back ," he barked, grabbing the other guys collar and throwing him up against the post of the door.

" Maybe I don't feel like it ," Nagumo shot back.

" Den I'll jus' ave ta rough you up ," growled the scruffy, golden-haired youth, raising his fist to plant one right in the other guy's face, but Yugi placed his hand on his elbow.

" Careful Joey, what if we damage them ?" said the smaller boy. It was a risk they didn't really want to take, even if Joey _could _beat the tar out of him. /_ I think its about time we stepped in_ / voiced the spirit, Yugi nodded in concert.

YU-GI-OH !

" Stand down Joey, I'll take it from here ," said Yami. Joey recordnized the tone and stepped back.

Nagumo gave a nasal snort, " Ha ha, you gonna let this midget fight your for ya ," he mocked.

" Carmen is my friend as well as Joey's ," replied Yami, putting the argument to rest before it got started, " And for 'trespassing in her soul' you'll answer to me ,".

" Ooh, big words for a dwarf ," retorted Nagumo undaunted.

" Alright then I suppose we should start this little game ," said the spirit, pulling out his deck, " the rules are simple : we'll each draw a single card from our decks and the monster with the highest attack points wins, however a magic or trap card is an automatic loss ,".

" Alright dude, I'll play your 'game' ,'' said his opponent, pulling out his own deck.

" I'll go first ," Yami informed him, he drew a card, looked at it and showed it to Nagumo. The other teen's eyes shifted from the card to its holder, but the spirit's face betrayed nothing to him. Teeming with confidence, he stood back with a sardonic laugh, " Kuriboh? That's the weakest card in the _game_, anything I draw can beat that weak ass card !". Nagumo picked up the card on the top of his deck, " check this ,"...

" Well ?" inquired the King of Games, Nagumo's face was slack with shock, but what card had caused his downfall? " _Well_, which one of Carmen's cards did you draw ?" he asked.

The flaxen-haired teen snarled in a dog-like fashion, " The hell with this !" he raised his fist to deck his opponent.

WHAM!

Nagumo hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, Joey stood between him and his friend after punching the other guy to the ground. Yami, of course, could have easily dispatched his mind to the shadow realm. He leaned forward and picked up the scattered playing cards, " Well we got them back, that the important thing ," he said, holding up the card Nagumo had drawn. Raigenki.

CCC-

" Thanks for getting my cards back ," Carmen told Joey and Yugi.

" Yeah, sorry Nagumo ripped da rest up ," replied Joey with sincerity in his voice.

" Me too ," added Yugi, " It must have taken you a long to build it ,".

" Hmm ," the amber-eyed girl nodded affirmatively, " it took _years_ ,". She split from the rest of the group and turned the corner towards her home. comrades

" She seems really broken up about this ," noted Te'a sympathetically to her comrades once the person in question was out of earshot.

" Can't blame her ," said the violet-eyed teen, " those cards used to belong to her brother, It like loosing a part of herself ,".

" You gotta point dere Yug' ," agreed Joey.

He sighed heavily _I wish there was something I could do to help_he thought sadly to himself.

/ _Is something stopping you aibou_ / asked Yami curiously /_ After all we did return the cards Nagumo stole_ / .

_Yeah, but she lost nearly all of her best cards_ replied his light.

/_ Still, nothing is stopping you from helping, just think about what she requires_ / said the spirit logically before retreating into the confines of the puzzle and leaving Yugi to ponder his words.

CCC-

Carmen closed the door behind herself and dropped her book bag next to the linen closet with a disheartened sigh. Her stomach growled irritably so she meandered in the kitchen for a snack, but when she got in there an affluently-designed envelope caught her attention.

_Congratulations_

_You have been cordially invited to take part in an exclusive Duel Monsters tournament. Come to Domino Town Square on June 22 at 9:30 pm sharp for the official announcement and details._

To Be Continued . . .

Author Commentary -

Winged Tormentor : The votes are in ( okay so its like Whose line is it anyway and mine's the only one that counts but...) and the winners are Ai Haibara and Wing35, so I'm going to write in their characters somewhere in the next few chapters.

Carmen : You know choosing characters from submissions isn't easy, because its not just how cool they dress or what kind of deck they have. They have to get along with the other characters in the story, right?

Winged Tormentor : Right! So what do you and our expert panel of judges have in mind for our new inductees ?

( The panel of judges are Joey, Yami Bakura, Carmen and Miroku from Inuyasha )

Joey :( stops picking his nose) Hey, Whatta you doin' ere? Go back to your own show !

Miroku : I couldn't help it, there are so many beautiful girls, that I just had to stop in (winks at Des) and the authoress asked me to fill in.

Joey : Fill in fo' who ?

Winged Tormentor : Cell, he was supposed to be our guest judge, but he kinda had a break down after fighting Son Gohan and he kinda ...went all to pieces.

Joey : _Oh_.

Carmen :( to Des and Wing ) Alright, time for the initiation test.

( Des and Wing look at eachother with eyebrows raised )

Wing : Initiation test? But we won the contest!

Des :(grumbles under breath) Long as I don't have to kiss hat-boy over there.

Wing : Hey! I heard that!

Des : I guess that saves me the trouble of having to repeat it .

Carmen : Nope, I've already got something in mind and it'll be _lots_ of fun (giggles manically and whispers in their ears) Okay, what you to do is ...psst...psst... uh-huh and then ...psst...psst... got it?

Des and Wing : (Nod their heads)

( Cut to Seto Kaiba, who is sitting at his desk in his office typing on his computer, abruptly he stopped and sat back. )

Seto : Why do I have the feeling I'm about to be annoyed?

(Suddenly Des bursts in, waving her arms wildly in the air )

Des : WHHHAAAAA !( stops next to his chair)

Seto: ...

Des : ...

Seto : ...

Des : ...

Seto : ...

Des : ...

Seto : ...

Des : ...

(Crickets chirping in the background)

Seto : ...

Des : ... ...

Seto : (( ) _WELL_ ?

Des : (pushes him) Bother. (runs out of the office waving her arm in the air) WHHAAA !

Seto : ( ' ' ;)...


	13. Ch13 Prelude to Battle City

**In the Shadow of the Prophecy**

Disclaimer - Nope, still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!...flug nuggets

Chapter thirteen - Prelude to Battle City

_And I wanna believe you when you tell me that it_'_ll be okay._

_Yeah I wanna believe you,_

_But I don_'_t._

_when that its gonna be,_

_And I was too sad to be a different way._

_I try to believe you,_

_Not today, today, today._

_Avril Lavigne_

CCC-

Last time --

_Carmen closed the door behind herself and dropped her bookbag next to the linen closet with a disheartened sigh. Her stomach growled irritably so she meandered in the kitchen for a snack, but when she got in there an affluently-designed envelope caught her attention._

_Congratulations_

_You have been cordially invited to take part in an exclusive Duel Monsters tournament. Come to Domino Town Square on June 22 at 9:30 pm sharp for the official announcement and details._

CCC-

_I can't believe I just handed him my deck_ > Carmen thought _how could I have been so stupid_ ? >. The mysterious letter rested under her palm, without her deck there wasn't much point in showing up was there? And why was she getting so depressed about this whole thing anyway? It was just a stupid card game, this was probably just life's way of telling her its time to grow up.

" Hey Carmen ," the voice startled her and she quickly slid the letter into her lap. Yugi, Joey, Te'a and Tristen were looking at her with ear-to-ear grins, it was kind of ..._creepy_.

" Uh... what's up ?" she asked slowly, careful not to provoke them...

" HAPPY BIRTHDAY !" they chorused brightly, setting a small rectangular 'gift' on her desk wrapped in a handkerchief. The amber-eyed girl raised an eyebrow at this curiously.

" But my birthday's not till December ," she replied blankly.

" Aw jus' opennit ," said Joey in his impatient, puppy-like way. _Okay_ > she decided, unfolding the handkerchief slowly, _What_ >, it was a crisp, clean ...stack of cards. _No way_ carefully she shuffled through them, were these... really for her? They looked brand new! Zolga, Kelbek, Shining Angel, they were all there and there were new cards she hadn't seen before. " I put dat in dere ," said the blond proudly.

_Why_ ?> " You replaced...my _whole_ deck ?" she said with wide-eyed shock.

" Well the guys and I ... " Yugi started, blushing when she put him on the spot, " well, we couldn't replace _all_ of it, but... we just wanted to help ,".

Two rosy spots appeared on the girls cheeks and she smiled, " Thanks ,".

CCC-

Yugi, pulled his stuff out of his locker/_ Carmen looked happy, thanks for the clue in Yami_ / he said, strangely there was no reply/_ Yami _/ . Still nothing. He was worried and a tad bit annoyed, it wasn't like the spirit of the puzzle to ignore him. / _Yami._ /

/ _Huh _/ came the spirit's voice/ _Yes Aibou_ / .

/ _Are you okay, you seem like you were spacing out again_ / said his light.

/ _Uh_... / Yami shook his head slightly to clear it and when he was confident he replied / _Yes, I_'_m fine_. / . Yugi eyes were etched with worry, this was happening alot since that whole warehouse incident, Yami's eyes would become distant and his thoughts would lead him away. What bother him the most was that he seemed helpless to assist his other half. He was about to put all aside when he stepped out onto the porch and saw Te'a, bingo! That was it! Oh, but the spirit was gonna _hate _him for this.

CCC-

Yami walked side-by-side down the street with the auburn-haired girl, lost in his own musings. How his partner had managed to keep this under the guise of a surprise was baffling to him, but Yugi was right about one thing ; this supposed 'date' with Te'a did put his soul at ease.

" We're here ," the blue-eyed girl chimed, pulling him out of his reverie now that they were in the townsquare. / _I never thought searching for my lost memories would take a turn such as this_ / said the spirit with amusement and renewed vigor / _but I know I can face it_ / . He felt the tug in his chest of Yugi's heartfelt agreement.

Te'a looked around, there was a small crowd milling around the square, mostly teenagers like themselves, duelists, she guessed. " 'Cuse me ," said a familar voice as a kid wearing a black hoodie and jeans that were a couple sizes too big.

" Huh... Carmen is that you ?". The kid froze in her tracks and looked at them with an 'Oh-shit-I'm-busted' look. She pulled her hood back to reveal it was, indeed, their friend.

" Umm, hi ," she replied nervously, " you guys on a date, or something? Is this where we come to find out about the tournament, or did I stumble into some make-out spot ?". Te'a blushed, mortified by the girl's assessment, from her kawaii appearance it was hard to remember Carmen was the same age as herself. The spirit of the puzzle was sporting an unusually rosy face as well, slightly taken aback himself, an expression foreign to his normally smooth persona.

" Yuuuuuuu-whooooooooooooooo !" called a sly, flirtatious voice, causing the dark-haired girl to cringe at the memory. The voice's owner, a buxom young woman with long blonde hair skipped up to them and threw her arm around Te'a neck. " I know you guys missed me ," she teased in a sing-song tone.

" Mai, I assume you came for the tournament ," said Yami, growing less comfortable with the present situation by the second. Her fun cut short, the prize hunter let go of Tea.

" Yeah, I assume you received an anonymous invite as well ," she replied. The spirit answered her with a curt nod of his head.

" Hai, but it didn't say who it was from ," he said and turned to the fourth member of the group, " the same for you Carmen, I expect ,".

Put in the spotlight, the golden-eyed girl sighed and pulled her letter out of her pocket, " Yeah, me too ," she said excepting her defeat with grace, " no name ,".

# _Carmen? who's she_ ?# Mai studied the girl for a moment, she had a feeling she should know her...aha! " I know you, you're Nicholas Seraph's granddaughter aren't you ?".

The spirit glanced at her out of the corner of his eye /_ Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that_ / he mused to himself.

" Guilty as charged, I'm afraid, I'm Carmen Seraph ," she replied with a smile, " nice to meet you ,".

The blonde looked her up and down with a scrutinizing eye, " For an urban heiress, you'd think they'd dress you better ,". Carmen blinked, had this strange lady just showed up and complimented her and insulted her in the same breath? How was she supposed to react to that?

Mai leaned forward and mussed the teen's pale strawberry tresses playfully, much to the girl's discomfort. Carmen growled under her breath and smoothed the hairs back into place.

Suddenly all the screens in and around the city turned on, their staticy screens revealing the visage of the infamous president of Kaiba Corporation...

" Greetings duelists ," he said with his typical 'I-am-god' smirk as he regarded them, " Welcome to the town of Domino. It seems you've all received your private invites and you were smart enough were smart enough to show up ," the crowd crowed excitedly, " But more importantly, welcome to my tournament ,".

To Be Continued . . .


	14. Ch14 Shopping with Mai

**In the Shadow of the Prophecy**

Disclaimer - Insert witty disclaimer here>

Chapter fourteen - Shopping Trip 

_Some people like the summer when its hot,_

_Some people like the winter cold._

_Some people speak dey mind when they wanna,_

_And some other people ain't so bold._

_What ever it is that you do (that you do)_

_you should do it with your head held high._

_So when your doing your thing its cause ya wanna,_

_And they never can ask you why._

_Pink_

CCC-

Last time --

"_ Greetings duelists ,_"_ he said with his typical _'_I-am-god_'_ smirk as he regarded them, _"_ Welcome to the town of Domino. It seems you_'_ve all received your private invites and you were smart enough were smart enough to show up ,_"_ the crowd crowed excitedly, _"_ But more importantly, welcome to my tournament ,_"...

People dispersed after the announcement, leaving the four friends in the deserted square. Carmen yawned sleepily, " well, I guess its time for me to go ," she said, turning to leave, " see you tomorrow ,".

" Hey kiddo ," said Mai to her retreating back, Carmen paused _Kiddo_ ? > and "hmm"ed in return. " Whadaya say we hang out tomorrow ?" she suggested, the pink-haired girl rose an eyebrow at her, " It'll be worth you while, promise, meet me here okay ?".

" I should be getting home too ," Te'a told the other two.

" I'll walk you home ," said Yami, " See you around Mai ,". Mai waved and hopped into her convertible.

CCC-

" WHAT ?".

"Chill out Joey ," said Tristen.

" Moneybags is 'avin his own Duel Monsta's tournament ," protested the blond with a vein in his forehead popping, " Damn it, I can't believe he brushed me off like dat !".

" This might be a shock to you Joey, but Kaiba doesn't like you ," the over-gelled guy.

" Ha ha ," chimed in Carmen, " Kaiba doesn't like _anyone _,". Everyone, but Joey laughed at that.

" That's true ," agreed Yugi.

" Well I gotta go now guys ," said the amber-eyed girl, heading for the stairs, " I promised Mai I'd meet her after school ,".

At the mention of the aloof beauty, Joey jumped to his feet and thumbed himself exuberantly, " I'm comin' too, you might needa guy's opinion " he said valiantly.

That gave Te'a an idea, " Hey, why don't we go too Yugi ?" she suggested to the smaller boy.

" Uh, well I don't think we really have to uh ..." he tried to say, but the brunette picked him up and threw him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes :

" You can't _wear_ the same outfit _everyday_ !".

" Why not ?".

CCC-

" How's it comin' back there kiddo ?" called Mai.

" Uh, okay I guess ," replied Carmen shyly, the curtain shuffled slightly and she poked her head out. Her tiny fingers clutched the vinyl fabric under her chin.

" Well? Let's see it, c'mon ," she coerced, the petite teen stepped out wearing a _very_ short white dress with spaghetti straps. " Hmm ," she nodded, now that she could see what she was working with, " Nice, but not what we're after ,".

" After ?" Carmen echoed, tugging at the hem of the dress uncomfortably.

" Oh yeah, I've got lots of things in store for you ," said the blonde with a devilish grin, " here, try these on ,".

Elsewhere...

" How about this one Yami ?" said Yugi checking out his ensemble in the dressing room mirror ; it was a red tee-shirt, a silver vest and some jeans.

Back to Mai's makeover...

"Are you done changing ?" asked the blonde, sounding slightly impatiently. She had her own shopping to do.

" Well... its a little... revealing ," she said, a bit reticently as she stepped out. It was a corset like her own, but it was black and trimmed with silver and a pair of black, skin tight jeans that laced up along her legs.

" Nonsense, you look _hot_ ," she assured the girl. Carmen, on the other hand,wasn't sure if 'hot' was the look for her. " I'm gonna go look at accessories, alright kiddo ?" said Mai, " if the top's too low cut for your taste, go find a jacket, or a vest, or something ,".

" Alright ," replied Carmen as her chaperone skipped off, the amber-eyed girl looked over her shoulder at her reflection in the tri-mirror.

CCC-

The blonde walked down past the guys dressing rooms, Te'a was nearby looking at some quaint sundresses. She cut thought the aisle and joined her, " Hey Te'a, how's picking's ?". The brunette tensed, think she was going to get grilled about the night before.

" Hey Mai ," she recovered charmingly.

" You wouldn't happen to know where that oaf Joey got to, wouldja ?" she inquired.

" Oh, he saw a hotdog stand on our way in ," Te'a told her, " He's probably stuffing his face right now ,".

The curtain slid aside and Yugi stepped out with some clothes on his arm, wearing his uniform. His heart overflowed with excitement, Te'a said this little excursion would be her treat. Speaking of Te'a, he didn't see her anywhere when he came out and looked around. " Hey Yugi ," beckoned Mai sugarly from around a rack of clothes, " over here ,".

" Hey Mai ," he greeted.

" Do you think you could do me a favor and hang out at the lady's dressing room. Te'a and I have to track down that numbskull Joey, he's getting a makeover whether he likes it, or not ," she said sternly. The teen scratched the back of his head sweatdropping, but agreed and the three split up.

CCC-

Carmen pressed a sparkling rhinestone jacket black as night, the gems shimmered like stars in the night sky as she held it to her body inspectively. It went well with the clothes Mai picked out for her, she also found another couple of black tee-shirts she liked that she planned to pay for herself. She hated to admit it to herself, but the blonde's sartorial sense was sharp as a knife, the ensemble looked awesome on her.

Yugi navigated his way to the place he was supposed to meet Te'a and Mai, around a rack of mini skirts that gave him some unkosher thoughts. There was a girl there, setting some clothes on a chair, he took her in, she was stunning. Her golden gaze shifted to his position, " Yugi ?" she said innocently. / _Carmen_ / He felt all the air his body rush out of his lungs like he'd been punched the gut. Puzzled by his silence, she cocked her head to the side thoughtfully.

Mai, Te'a and Joey appeared around the corner, their clothes in tow, his best took one look at Carmen flabbergasted and did a double-take, " Wow-witti-wow-wow-wow !" he said in disbelief, " is dat 'chu Carmen ?". The girl's cheeks reddened against her will and she looked away bashfully.

CCC-

" Well, I gotta go, I gotta get registered an' den I'm off to da hospital ," said Joey, " My sista' eye operation is in da mornin' an' I promised I'd be dere ,".

" See ya Joey ," said Yugi, himself, Te'a and Carmen waving goodbye.

CCC-

" I'm home..." the amber-eyed girl called entering the empty little apartment, " oh yeah, I live alone ,".She dropped the shopping bag on the floor of the foyer and shuffled towards her room.

Briiiiinnngg! Brriiiiiiiiinng!

She groaned in frustration, cursing mentally as dragged her feet over to the phone and picked up the receiver, " Moshi-moshi ," she mumbled tiredly.

" Good evening Carmen ," said the eerily cryptic voice on the other end, " did you enjoy you little shopping excursion ?".

Her eyes sharpened with recognition, pinning the voice with a face from her memory world, " Okay, you've really gotta cut that out, its just creepy ," Carmen answered with a smirk, " Ishizu ,".

To Be Continued . . .


	15. Ch15 Outrunning Destiny

**In the Shadow of the Prophecy**

Disclaimer - Do I own Yu-Gi-Oh? (consult the mighty cootie catcher) Fat Chance?

I guess not (heavy sigh), what about the lyrics? No? Fine be that way, but Carmen and the tiara are mine.

Chapter fifteen - Outrunning Destiny 

_Squint your eyes and then look closer,_

_I_'_m not between you and your ambitions._

_I am a poster-girl with no poster._

_I am 32 flavors and then some._

_And I_'_m beyond you peripheral vision, _

_So you might wanna turn your head._

_Cause one day you are gonna get hungry,_

_And eat most of the words you just said._

_ Ani Difranco_

CCC-

Checking over her shoulder, the disheveled youth almost fell on her face, sand was pretty slick when it was wet. " Hey watch where you're goin' !" " Damn Kid !" yelled irate pedestrians as she weaved her way through them. She didn't bother offering apologies.

A shadowy figure dogged close behind her, skimming along the rooftops and avoiding the eyes of normal people.

_Damn_ she swore, up ahead the her escape route was cut short by a museum. Where did that thing come from? It took up an entire block! She was as good as dead unless she figured something out. There was only one option, she ran up to the door and prayed it was unlocked.

It was, but it took a moment for her panicked mind to figure out the door said 'Push' and not 'Pull'. There was a soft thump behind her as she closed the door behind herself and looked around. _ Geeze, this place is creepy at night _ she said to herself exploring the place and shivered, it was cold too, but then again, she was soaked from head-to-toe because of the rain.

The door gave a long squealing _creeeeeak_ when the darkness entered after her, " Where _are_ you ?" it called as if they were playing hide and go seek, " come out, come out, wherever you are ,".

The amber-eyed girl clasped her hand over her mouth as the shadow passed by her hiding spot behind a sarcophagus. Her breath froze as it scanned the room with its steely gaze and moved onto the next room. She sank to the ground with relief as the air left her lungs in a sigh." _Phew_..." she breathed, " oh that was close ,". She rubbed her eyes, seeing the spots of light gathering in the corner. Wait what ?

Sure enough, in the corner of the room there was a swirling ring of small orbs of light, she wasn't sure what they were, but it was seriously creeping her out. It was almost like those portals you see in one of those old sci-fi movies. Suddenly a horde of bloodthirsty..._things_ spilled out of it. _Wait... those look like the monsters on Duel Monster cards _! she realized, not that it made her feel any safer. Suddenly all the creatures' eyes snapped to her direction with ravenous hunger, did they have super natural tracking abilities, or something? Her mind was screaming at her to run, but her feet were frozen with fear. One of the creatures, a _banshee_-looking beast, let out a wicked loud yowl and lunged at the sarcophagus. Finally her legs agreed with her brain and she made a bolt for the door. " Heh heh, I thought you might be hiding ," laughed the shadow, " Now. Its over, resign yourself to your fate ,".

She gritted her teeth and stepped back slightly, but her other escape route was covered by those weird creatures. _Damn_ she cursed.

" If you run, those monsters will rip you to pieces ," the shadow told her, " if you surrender I will be more benevolent ,".

_No_... she dissented mentally.

" This is your last chance ," warned the darkness.

_I don't want to_ . She stepped back, the monsters launched themselves at the girl hungrily. " Die ,".

_NO_ ! 

SHOOOOOM ! 

" Aaaaaaaargh ," the shadow snarled painfully, " What the hell is that damn annoying flicking light ?". The monsters disintegrated in the enveloping brightness, alone and feeling the light burn at her flesh, the shadow was forced to retreat.

_This bright light_..._ what is it _? thought the bewildered teen, shielding her eyes from the blinding illumination. Then, suddenly, as abruptly as it came, the light faded and something hit the floor with a metallic _clang_. " Huh ?" she looked, still trying to make sense of the is crazy night, there was a golden tiara resting, seemingly innocently, on the floor a few meters away. " What on earth is..." she trailed off absently, reaching for it.

EnD fLaShBaCk -- 

_Well here we are_ she said to herself, verifying the directions scribbled on a piece of paper and checked her watch. " Right on time ," Carmen nearly jumped out her skin and whipped around at the raven-haired young woman.

" Will you _seriously_ cut _that_ out !". Ishizu stifled a chuckle at the girl's reaction, she was so easy to rile when you knew what buttons to push.

CCC-

" Breaking news ; Nicholas Seraph, president of the Seraph Software Company, has just stepped down as active president ," said the reporter on a teevee displayed in a store window.

Yugi shuffled down the sidewalk, after Joey's little 'incident' soon after register _he_ was hesitant to do so. / _Man, as if we didn't have enough to worry now there's someone attacking duelists and taking their cards before the tournament even **starts**_ / thought Yugi.

/ _Well, if anyone that on **us** I_'_ll teach them a lesson about jumping the gun_ / answered his dark side. The youth shivered, Yami's '_lessons_' usually implied a shadow game.

/ _It might be the same guy that tried to steal our puzzle_ / suggested his light.

/ _Possibly, but I don't see the correlation, the one that attacked Joey was after his Red-Eyes, remember_ / replied Yami dubiously. Suddenly...

WHAM.

" Owww... ". / _Who_ / thought the boy, dazed from impact.

" That didn't tickle ," grumbled another voice, causing Yugi to look up in surprise.

" Carmen ?".

She dust herself off, " We gotta stoop meeting like this, seriously, every time I see you, I end up on my ass ,".

" What are you doing here ," he asked curiously.

She cleared her throat and replied, " Well apparently...not looking where I'm going, you ?".

" Uh, well, I was going to register for the tournament ," he replied casually.

" Oh, yeah, that totally slipped my mind, I should probably do that too before I forget _again_ ," said Carmen with a bit of a laugh at her absent-mindedness. So the two teen figured they register together (safety in numbers and what not), fortunately the store was just around the corner.

_Ding-ding!_ chimed the little bell on the door, the cashier popped up from behind the counter with a business smile and greeted them jovially. " Hello what can I do for you today ?".

" We're here to register for the Battle City Tournament ," Yugi told him rather matter-of-factly.

" I see ," he said, the smile never left his face, " Then just tell my your names ,".

" Yugi Motou ,".

The storekeeper typed his name and entered it into the computer and with in seconds there was a hit, " _S class_, hmm, you must be quite skilled ," he said, then turned to the amber eyed girl, " You are ?".

" Carmen Seraph ,".

Again the clerk entered the name into the database, almost a minute passed before he looked up at her, " I'm sorry miss, your name isn't in the Kaiba Corp database ,".

" Oh, I see, " she started rummaging through her pocket until she pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to him, " try searching under this ,". Fortunately, for the store clerk he was wearing glasses so the two teens didn't notice his double take. He entered the name and within moments it, too, had a hit. " Ah, there you are ,". He ducked down behind the counter and returned with two large rectangular box." You both qualify, as participants, you both get the latest duel disc from the Kaiba Corporation ,". Now it was Yugi's turn to be surprised, that box was almost as big as he was! How the hell were they supposed to fit on their wrists?

Regardless, they thanked the clerk and left, " Well, I probably won't see you again till the tournament ," she said and turned to go home.

" See ya then ," he replied.

To Be Continued ...

Author Commentary -

Ranking system - I don't like star rating so I used this system as well, there's The _P class _(1-2 stars), the_ B class _(3stars), _A class _(4 stars) and _S class _(5stars).

CCC-

Winged Tormentor : I can't believe it! Someone flamed my fic! Apparently my writing style is lazy and contrive, my story is hard to follow and my precious Carmen is useless. Now while I enjoy and encourage constructive criticism, that was just plain _mean_ and I must ask that if you do not like my story then don't read it... Now Paladius.

( We see palidius duck taped to a wall, Carmen whips out the Mashmellonator 5000 ( which looks like an oversized machine gun) wearing a tee shirt that says _T.A.A.D.A.A._)

Winged Tormentor : you need to be taught a lesson for being a total meany butt poo head, ready Carmen?

Carmen : (smiles evilly and cocks the marshmellonator 5000) Ready !

Palidius : (can't say anything because I ducked taped his mouth shut) NNNNN-NNN-NN!

Winged Tormentor : Fire at will!

(Carmen rapid fires the Marshmellonator 5000, showering Palidius with hundreds of hot sticky marshmallows and soon the nasty little flamer is very much resembling a human smore)

Seto : (Appears out of nowhere) What the hell is that ?

Winged Tormentor : Its my weapon against the forces of evil, the marshmellonator 5000.

Seto : You call _that_ a weapon ? It just something to make smores with!

Winged Tormentor : (eyebrow twitches) Carmen ?

Carmen : Roger !(starts shooting at Seto) Muh ha ha ha ha !

Don't forget to read and review!


	16. Ch16 The Tournament Begins

**In The Shadow of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - Yes, yes, I own it! I own it, muwaahahaha ! alarm clock rings Oh man, I guess it was just a dream, but I know Carmen and her yami are mine.

Chapter sixteen - The Tournament Begins 

_There is a thin line, _

_between fantasy and reality,_

_So fine you won't believe,_

_How many times,_

_Have you let it go? _

_Feelings deep in your soul,_

_Got you reeling out of control._

_Read it somewhere,_

_In a little book, _

_There was more to love,_

_If I'd only look,_

_A little deeper,_

_But not with my eyes, _

_To have the courage, _

_To let it in..._

_Ultra Nate_

FlAsHbAcK - -

_Black and gray sneakers skidded to a halt with a small squeak. _

_" There's nowhere for you to run now, little Carmen ," said the warped voice of the cloaked predator. His target trapped, forced to the edge of the warehouse roof. _

_A blinding flash of light, the duelist pitched backward, " Ahhhh ,"..._

_The teen's body met the cement with a sickening, bone-crunching 'thud', while on the roof the caped demon smirked._

CCC-

A white haired, deeply tanned teenager paced the length of his study, his crystal eyes set deep in thought and his index finger stroking his chin as the gears turned in his mind. After hacking into the Battle City database, all the information to provide his card hunters with plenty of work was at his fingertips, and even better, that little twerp sharing a vessel with the infamous lords of the dark games was listed among them _Heh, Ishizu doesn't know what she's missing out on_ he thought with a sardonic laugh, honest, who was this ghost to force he and his family into an eternity of solitude and darkness. An ominous smirk graced his lips, relishing the vindictive delight _Well, the answer is simple_ he reminded himself _Once I kill the former pharaoh, I'll assume the mantle of his power, then I'll be the one giving orders_ .

_Hear that _'**_Pharaoh_**'_? **I'll** be the one giving the orders_

CCC-

Yugi buried his face into his soft fluffy pillow, there was an ear-to-ear smile and a soft pink glow about his cheeks. Yami was sure what the youth was dreaming about, but given the look on his face, it had to be good. It was tempting... to leave him be, safe in his dreams, it was a rare moment of late when he could just be normal and sleep in on a Saturday. The spirit sighed, no, they couldn't afford to get a late start tournament. / _Aibou_ / .

" Mmmff ," came the muffled sound from the head in the pillow, mostly likely something about not wanting to get up.

/ _Yes get up_ / said Yami sternly / _the tournament is to start in a few hours and you, my aibou, have yet to get dress_ / . Yugi sat up, droopy-eyed, and yawned drowsily.

" Mornin' ," he said absently.

/_ Good morning aibou_ / the spirit replied.

Dressed and ready to head out, the violet-eyed teen pulled his deck out from his desk drawer and slid it into the deck holder around his waist. / _I sure hope its strong enough_ / thought Yugi apprehensively.

/ _You doubt me_ / teased Yami with that roguish smile of his /_ All of our gaming knowledge went into that deck. Understand, aibou, that there is a time when you must put the _'_what ifs_'_ aside and trust yourself _/ .

" Right ," said his partner, though he didn't sound all that sure.

CCC-

Carmen grabbed her black shimmering jacket from off of her bed, like most female duelists, she strapped her deck box around her thigh. She took one last look at the mirror, " Well, I look pretty bad ass if I do say so myself ," she concluded, " its definitely an improvement over the cape ,". The golden tiara glimmered faithfully on her brow, almost accenting the outfit ..._Destiny_..._Hmm_... she thought hypnotically.

Abruptly she pulled out of her reverie and checked her watch. Damn, she was going to be late.

CCC-

Duelists were marching in by the droves, like British soldiers into town as the amethyst-eyed youth search out for his friend amongst the crowd, but he was nowhere to be seen, " Hey Yugi ," greeted a flirtatious voice.

" Oh, _Ohayo_ Kujaku-_san_ ," he replied.

" Aww, _san wa idanai_(1), Yugi ," she replied, throwing her arm around him, causing the teen to blush profusely.

" Hi Yugi, hi Mai ," said Carmen squeezing between a bunch of other duelists all huddled together and walking up to them.

" Lookin' sharp kiddo ," said Mai, giving her the thumbs up. The golden-eyed girl blushed a shade of pink to rival her hair, but on the inside she was wondering exasperatedly _Why does she keep calling me _'_kiddo_' ? . " Pretty big turnout for this thing. Heh heh, All wannabes ,".

" Well I don't know if they're _all_ wannabes, just because we've never seen alot of them ," said Yugi.

" Yeah, plus, you never know if the next duelist you fight is gonna pull something you're not expecting ," added Carmen.

" Yugi ," snapped a nasally, high-pitched voice, belonging to Insector Haga (2), " I thought I saw you buzzing around, _kisama_(3),". Yugi looked around, realizing the third member of his party had vanished into thin air-- oh, no wait, she dove behind him for cover as two _very_ irate duelists stalked up to them.

" Uh, Carmen, I don't think I'm big enough for you to hide behind ," He said shyly.

" _Warui_(4) ," she replied nervously from behind him.

" Hmph, looks like the Duel Monsters Champion's found a new hopeless cause to take under his wing ," scoffed Dinosaur Ryuzaki(5). _Hey !_ .

" Or maybe she's his girlfriend ," teased Haga, " They've both got that _height_ thing goin' on ,".

" Oh, that's it !" barked Carmen snapping out from behind her friend and standing her full height (a/n : which isn't much, I know), " Nobody, but NOBODY, calls me short! You got that four eyes ?". She whipped the Marhmellonator 5000 out of thin air and bombarded the two unworthy competitors with her marshmallows of death.

/ _She's kinda scary when she's mad_ / said Yugi to himself scooting back slowly.

" Enough of you small fries, the only one making waves will be me ," said Ryota Kajiki(6), joining the fray. Thus the inevitable _my-horse-is-bigger-than-your-horse_ insued between the threesome, only it was more of a _my-card-is-rarer-than-your-card_. Mai, Carmen and Yugi watched silently, sweatdrops aplenty.

" Well, I'm off ," said the blonde, " see ya ,".

" Bye Kuja--I mean, Mai ," said the violet eyed teen.

Yugi decided to go find and Carmen (not knowing the city well enough) tagged along at a distance.

CCC-

" Where'dae go, I giv'em sumthin' ta hunt ," snarled a familiar, seething blond duelist of a different variety.

" There he is ," said Yugi to himself, spotting his best friend, or rather hearing his ranting over the rest of the chatter he was milling through and ran toward the sound. No doubt Joey was after the ones who stole his precious _Red Eyes Black Dragon_. " Joey !" he yelled at the top of his lungs to get the other guy's attention.

The mussy-haired blond whipped around, seeing the smaller teen running towards him. " Hey Yug' ,".

The spirit assessed the scene as his partner caught his breath, their comrade was confronting a beady-eyed man with wild white blond hair that reminded Yami of a porcupine. The white hair man blandly refused the raving blond, he didn't see the point since Joey didn't have any cards he wanted.

However unbeknownst to the spirit, yet another unnamed shadow was watching the goings-on. _Forget that ranting buffoon, my servant, his friend, defeat him NOW_ ! commanded the shadow in a dark tone that implied serious punishment if not obeyed immediately.

' _Yes master_ ' replied the beady-eyed slave without delay.

To Be Continued . . .

Author's Commentary -

1. _San wa idanai_ - quite literally " No need for formality!"

2. Insector Haga Weevil Underwood

3. _Kisama _- means " You bastard ", its a _very_ rude way to refer to someone

4._Warui_ - means " Bad ", but in the context Carmen's using, its a slangy way of saying sorry, the Japanese equivalent of " My bad "

5. Dinosaur Ryuzaki Rex Raptor

6.Ryota Kajiki Mako Tsunami


	17. Ch17 Number 1 Fan

**In The Shadow of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer -You know the drill, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I own Carmen.

Chapter seventeen - Number # 1 Fan 

_I don_'_t give a damn about my reputation,_

_You_'_re living in the past its a new generation._

_And a girl can do what she wants to do,_

_And that_'_s what I_'_m gonna do,_

_And I don_'_t give a damn about my bad reputation. _

_Oh no..._

_Oh no._

-- _Half-Cocked_

CCC-

Great.

This was just perfect, turned her head for a second and Yugi vanished into the crowd. Carmen wasn't familiar with the area of town she was in, since, besides her friends, her life really only extended to the library, school and the museum, (a/n : okay, so she only knew Yugi's address cause she bought some DM cards there once) but now she was a bit anxious, she could wandering around the city for _hours_. Shoving her hands into her pants pockets and shifting her weight from one foot to the other _Well, standing around looking like a lost puppy's not gonna make it any better for you_ she chided herself.

If she couldn't find Yugi, or Joey, if she kept moving, eventually she'd come across something she recordnized, right ? " Excuse me ," " Coming through ," " Pardon me ," said the amber-eyed girl as she squeezing through the crowd and in-between people. An uncomfortable pressure began to build up in her right temple, a feeling unwelcome to the adolescent, but strangely familiar. _Huh? Whats that _? she wondered spying a group building in the middle of the street. Weird. Her gut told her to check it out, so she approached cautiously.

_Wait_ ! she realized, it was Yugi and Joey...or at least, she thought it was Yugi. This duelist's eyes were wine red and ablaze with determination, slanted forward in a daunting fashion. It _had_ to be Yugi, that hair was hard to mistake, but he looked... maybe a little taller. She could almost _see_ the aura around him, the air was electric with his presence.

Carmen couldn't see the face of his opponent, nor was she close enough to hear the words the contenders exchanged. _ What's goin_'_ on? I can't hear a thing _ she thought craning her neck to hear.

The weird white-haired guy lost, the summoned skull laid him out and won her friend the duel. " Hey Yugi, Joey !" Carmen called.

Yami skimmed the cards the rare hunter dropped / _Ah_, _there it is_ / he thought, finding the coveted dragon card easily.

" _Hey_ _Yugi, Joey_ !"

His crimson eyes met hers in a friendly embrace as she jogged up to them, she returned the silent welcome with a quick smile and looked away. Odd, why didn't she keep eye contact with him? She had no problem looking his aibou in the eye when they talked. The pharaoh, shook his head, no she's just shy, that's all and dismissed the thought. Suddenly...

" NO MASTER, PLEASE FORGIVE ME !" howled the white-haired man shooting up to his head in his hands franticly, startling him and his own. Put on the defense Yami and Joey dug their toes in. " NO, NO DON'T, PLEASE SPARE--".

" Ah, 'pharaoh' we meet again " said the distorted voice, the millennium symbol encrested of his brow. The puppet master chuckled darkly, " Well, actually this is the first time we meet isn't it ? you were trapped in the puzzle when I dueled your 'partner', yugi, i think it was, right ?".

/ _Pharaoh_ / the spirit thought scowling, sensing that foul, overpowering aura emanating from the human 'doll'. " How is it you can control the minds of others ?" he demanded.

" heh, for someone who spent the better part of three thousand years chained to a millennium item you certainly are dense " he jeered sardonically, secure in his knowledge of the pharaoh's past. Yami's scowled deepened dangerously, " each of these artifact possess unique . . . properties, thus controlling the minds of my subordinates is a trivial feat with my millennium rod ,".

/_ Millennium rod... mind control_ / thought the spirit / _Nothing good can come of that_ / .

" enjoy your victory here 'pharaoh' but just so you know, my other assassins are by no means as weak as this one " said the puppeteer, " heh, enjoy your last days ,".

" Who _are_ you ?" Yami demanded, liking this individual less and less.

" heh heh, the one who takes you throne _o Pharaoh_, is malik, remember that ," said his nemesis. The white haired card stalker pitched forward in a dead faint, hitting the ground with bone cracking '_thud_'.

_Malik_... . " Carmen ,". She turned, obeying the unspoken command without thinking. She looked untrustingly at the form prostrate on the ground, '_Yugi_' looked at her and then what she was glaring at. " Is something wrong ?".

" Uh... n-no, nothing ," she said, those her eyes flickered suspiciously, saying otherwise.

" Well, this is where our roads diverge Joey ," said Yami.

" Good luck Yug', you too Ca'men ," said the blond in reply sincerely. The crowd dispersed, as well, now that the action was over.

The strawberry-haired teen approached the fallen hunter, cards were scattered around the ground, mostly in pieces, but a few were intact. _There it is_ she said to herself, finding what she was looking for. How it escaped destruction she didn't know, but she was glad it had, so she took the card and slipped it into her deck box. _Now to find Yugi_ .

CCC-

_Malik_.

Yami thought as he walked down the street, this was the one after not just the puzzle, but the lives connected to it. / _Well, at least we know its not Carmen for sure_ / voiced Yugi from within /_ Because this Malik-guy controls the rare hunters and he has the millennium **rod**_ / .

/_ That may be _/ replied the spirit / _but we don't know what kind of powers she possesses, so we can't let our guard down around her, it could Bakura all over again_ / . The teen looked away, his darkness was right, referring back to the " Monster World " fiasco. Still, it was uncomfortable to be close to someone he couldn't let himself trust completely.

A hand grabbed the shoulder of his jacket, pulling him out of the stream of sidewalk traffic, " Who ...?" he turned.

" Alright, there's something your not telling me ,"said Carmen, a little annoyed, " Do you mind filling me in on way these card assassins are on your case? Or why, sometimes, you're like a completely different person ?".

" **HEY** !".

The two duelists paused.

" You're the _sesako _(3) that beat Kaiba !" said a guy in a methat.

A silence ensued for a few fleeting moments as the two befuddled teens blinked with confusion.

" You ?" they said, pointing at each other, then indignantly pointed at themselves, " _Me_ ?".

" You, foreigner ," he said.

" Oh me ," said Carmen, seeing as she was the only foreigner there... hey wait a minute, " Did you just call me a _sesako_ !".

" Indeed _saseko_, for anyone that cheats Kaiba out of a victory is a _saseko_ ," said the guy, " Now I challenge you to a duel ,".

Carmen was flabbergasted and a touch angry at this nutbar, " Hold on, first you insult me, now you wanna duel me ?" she shot back.

" The rules say you can't refuse a challenge ," he said, " Unless you want to forfeit, since I will most likely _own_ you anyway, A-HA HA HA ,".

_Inferiority-complex much pal_ ? said the amber-eyed girl to herself. Why not except this jerk's challenge? Someone _seriously_ needed to shut him up. " Fine, you've got your self a duel ," she replied, activating her duel disc, " we'll see who gets '_owned_' ,". Her lips twitched upwards coyly, setting into her into her '_game face_'." So what's you name ?".

" Just call me Wing ," replied her adversary.

" Hm, weird name for a weird guy ,".

Carmen - 4000 Lp

Wing - 4000 Lp

Wing drew six cards, since he took it apon himself to go first, " I'm playing a monster face down ," he said, " Go _saseko_ ,".

Carmen drew her card, " stop calling me that, My name's Carmen ," she said.

" See you're a _namae-saseko_ ," he barked.

" Will you just let me play a card !" she retorted, finding it hard to keep her smile without cheesing too much from frustration. " I summon Shining Angel ," she announced, " attack his defense ,".

" A-HA HA HA, you just attacked Cyber Jar _saseko_, destroying every card on the field ," he cackled.

_Dammit, now I have to draw five cards and I won't be able to attack him till my next turn_ she thought, picking up the cards from her deck ; Agido, Dancing Fairy, Rush Recklessly, Wingweaver and Silver Bow And Arrow. " I'm special summoning Dancing Fairy and Agido with Cyber Jar's effect, then I'll special summon another Shining Angel since the first one was destroyed as a result of battle ," said Carmen, " and lastly I play one card face down and end my turn ,". The monsters appear from a swirl of iridescent lights as well as the two face down cards, Wing summoned Lord of D., Twin Headed Behemoth and Troop dragon.

' _Perfect_ ' he drew just the cards he needed," Draw !" another card for his awesome combo, " I'm sacrificing troop dragon and Lord of Dragons to summon Seiyaryu ," announced Wing, " Next I activate the Magic Card Holy Flame Attack (1) ". The pale crimson beast produced a burst of searing orange flames from its mouth, all three of his amber-eyed opponent's monsters exploded into hundreds of points of light. " Seiyaryu can't attack on the same turn I use Holy Flame Attack, so Twin Headed Behemoth will attack you directly ,". The Mutated purple, red and black over-sized pimple slammed her with its talon, " That ends my turn ,".

Carmen - 2500 Lp

Wing - 4000 Lp

Carmen drew her next card reciting the first two rules of gaming ; never loose your cool and always act like you have the upperhand. " I'm special summoning Pixie Knight thanks to Shining angel, plus, by also sending Agido to the graveyard I can roll a dice and summon another angel-class monster form my graveyard ,". The red egg-shaped angel reappeared popping open like a jack-in-the-box, a die hopped out revealing four little black dots. The teen sighed inwardly, anything else and she wouldn't have been able to summon _anything_, since she only had three angel-type monsters in her graveyard. " Now, I'll activate my face down card Ray of Hope and shuffle my Shining Angels back into my deck ," she added, Then I'll set one card face down and equip Dancing Fairy I brought back from the graveyard with the Sliver Bow and Arrow card. Now, attack his Twin headed Behemoth ,". The chibified sprite took aim and shot the eyesore threw the head.

Carmen - 2500

Wing - 3500

Wing drew, ' _If I attack her Pixie Knight I could seriously damage her life point, but I can't leave that Dancing Fairy on the field, she's probably going to boost it with another magic card on her next turn_ ' , " When my Twin Headed Behemoth is destroy it returns in defense mode ," and indeed, it faithfully reappeared sitting atop its card. " Now I'll sacrifice it to summon Dragon Healing Maiden (2) ," said Wing, " Now, Seiyaru attacks Dancing Fairy, owned bitch ,"...

To Be Continued  . . .

Author Commentary :

1. Holy Flame Attack - Wing35 graciously donated a deck list with these interesting custom cards, this one is a normal magic card that can only be activated when "Seiyaryu" is on your side of the field and destroy all monsters on your opponents side of the field, but as Wing said, Seiyaryu can't attack on the same turn this card is used.

2. Dragon Healing Maiden - another of Wing's custom cards, its a 6 star warrior class monster with 2000/1800, it has the ability to redirect a an attack targeted at another dragon type monster to itself.

3. _Saseko_ - Japanese for "whore", not a very nice thing to say Wingy.


	18. Ch18 Supa tenshimusha no Karumenu

**In The Shadow of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't own Yu-Gi-OH, so please don't sue.

Chapter eighteen - Carmen's Super Angel Warrior !

_And I don_'_t give a damn about my reputation,_

_I never said I wanted to improve my station,_

_And I_'_m always feelin_'_ good when I_'_m having fun,_

_And I don_'_t have to bruise noone,_

_So why should I care about a bad reputation?_

_ -- Half-Cocked_

_Last time _...

"_ When my Twin Headed Behemoth is destroy it returns in defense mode ,_"_ and indeed, it faithfully reappeared sitting atop its card. _"_ Now I'll sacrifice it to summon Dragon Healing Maiden ,_"_ said Wing, _"_ Now, Seiyaru attacks Dancing Fairy, owned bitch ,_"

CCC-

" I active my facedown card 'Rush Recklessly' to raise my Dancing Fairy's attack by seven hundred points. Dancing Fairy counter attack ," (2700/1300) The red-haired sprite drew back her bowstring back and fired another silver arrow at the dragon.

" I'm activating Negate Attack _sesako_, so your attack doesn't reach my dragon, " said Wing with a mocking laugh, " You just wasted your magic card ,".

" So ," said Carmen with a scoff, " Your turn is over ," she drew a card from her deck, " Now its mine ,". _ Cestus of Dagla, hmm, if I sacrifice my Pixie Knight and my Dancing Fairy I can summon my Wingweaver and equip this to it and then any battle damage done to my opponent is added to _**my**_ life points_ she devised. " I sacrifice Pixie Knight and Dancing Fairy to summon my Wingweaver, " the two fairies disappeared and were replaced an angel with long lilac-color hair and six wings. " Next I'll equip her with Cestus of Dagla, to raise her heavenly power by five hundred points ," she said, " Wingweaver attack Seiyaryu with Seraphim Rhapsody !".(3250/2400)

Carmen -3250 Lp

Wing - 2750 Lp

Wing shielded his eyes from the blast, and growled irritably, " You destroyed my favorite card _sesako_! Noone destroys my Seiyaryu and gets away with it !" he warned, " Draw !".

/ _She _**is**_ good, even with Wing's constant taunting she kept her cool and now she's got the strongest monster in play_ / thought Yugi, Yami was in control but he could still see the goings on through his dark side's eyes.

/_ True, but Wing, despite his amateur tongue, has made some decent plays himself _/ said the pharaoh /_ He may turn the tide back in his favor_ / .

Looking at the cards in his hand Wing formulated a plan, " I resurrect Seiyaryu with Monster Reborn, then I'll set one monster facedown and set one card facedown, go _sesako_ ," he said.

" You know, that's getting kinda old, Wingy ," said Carmen as she drew her next card _Hmm, this'll let me bring one equipment magic card back from my graveyard_ she recalled. All that was in her graveyard was the Silver bow and arrow, she didn't need that at the moment, so the best decision was to set it for now with two other cards. " Wingweaver, attack his dragon again with Seraphim Rhapsody ,".

" Foolish _sesako_ ," laughed Wing with his over dramatic voice, " You've activated my trap card, Covering Fire, allowing me to switch half of one of my monster's attack points to Seiyaryu ,". (3500/ 2000) " Seiyaryu, counter attack her winged bitch with flame of sun !".

_ Dammit, I should've known it was a trap _ she cursed mentally. Her six-winged angel was obliterated in a blinding inferno and shattered into thousand of points of light. Carmen gritted her teeth, " I end my turn ,".

Carmen - 3000

Wing - 2750

" Draw !" announced the hatted youth, pulling the next card from his card from his deck with gleeful satisfaction. " Stamping destruction and I'll activate it on your middle facedown card ,". Fairy of the spring revealed itself and shattered, Carmen sighed in relief. " Now, Seiyaryu attack the _sesako_ directly !".

" Not so fast, it my turn to play a trap, Waboku ," said the amber-eyed girl.

" What? No, that stops my attack !" cried her opponent in dismay.

" No, just makes it a waste time ," Carmen shot back.

/ _Phew_ / thought Yugi /_ He would've taken her out this turn if she hadn't played that_ / .

/ _True_ / Yami agreed /_ But can she make a come-back? Her side is all but, empty and Wing has two powerful monsters with a total of forty-five hundred. To come back she needs to summon a very powerful monster and she has nothing to sacrifice for it_ / .

Carmen drew her next card Monster Reborn, I can use this to bring back my Wingweaver she thought initially _No, that's too predictable, there's something else I _**really**_ want to use_ . She took her Spirit of the Harp and placed it facedown on her duel disc. " I play one monster facedown, your turn ,".

' _Probably something weak, I'll attack it with Dragon Healing maiden and own her with my Seiyaryu_ ' he decided, drawing from his deck, " Dragon maiden, attack her defense ," (2000/1800).

The spirit Carmen played plucked the strings of her harp, canceling out the attack of Wing's monster. (800/2000) Wing recoiled and attacked with Seiyaryu, destroying the angel.

_I need something good, fast_ thought the teen desperately, she would _not_ loose her first duel. She drew her next card _ Please be something good_ she prayed, peeking at what she drew. It was one of the Shining Angels she'd shuffled back into her deck, she set it and ended her turn.

" You should give up _noob_, you're just hiding behind your defense like a coward ," cackled the teen in the methat.

Carmen twitched slightly, " How do you know I'm just hiding, maybe I'm biding my time ," she shot back.

" Whatever _sesako_, " he said, pulling the next card from his deck, " You know Kaiba would of stomped you if you hadn't pulled a fast one on him by switching your decks before the match! Seiyaryu, attack her defense, Dragon Healing Maiden attack her life points directly !".

Carmen - 1000 Lp

Wing - 2750 Lp

"_ Man_ are you predictable, making the same mistake three times in _one_ duel, you've attacked my Shining Angel, letting me summon a light monster from my deck in attack mode as long as it has less than fifteen hundred attack points ,".

" Obviously You don't know math, _sesako_, that's not gonna help ," retorted Wing.

" Obviously, you don't know my deck ," said Carmen coolly, " I summon Angelic Apprentice ,". (1000/1000)

/ _What! I've never heard of _**that** _card before _/ thought Yugi /_ but Carmen think it can win the duel for her...how thought ? What kind of power does it hide inside_ / .

" This is my rarest card and one of my favorites to suit. _Now_ ," she drew a card, " I'll equip her with Rare Gold Armor and Ballista of Rampart Smashing, however, since Angelic Apprentice can't use equipment cards, they both go straight to the graveyard ,". She discarded both the cards to her graveyard. Wing raised an eyebrow in confusion, why did she just waste _two_ spell cards? " Now I active my angel's special ability, I have ten magic and trap cards in my graveyard, Angelic Apprentice gain five hundred extra attack points for each of them ,".

' _Five thousand points_ !' / / 

" Angelic Apprentice, attack with Winged Stardust Lance !" commanded Carmen.(5000/5000)

Carmen - O

Wing - X

" Damn _sesako_, " grimaced Wing, " she beat me ,".

" Its Carmen ," said the amber-eyed girl corrected him, recalling the holo-projector and deactivating her duel disc, " I won, so stop being a sore sport about it and hand over your rarest card and your location card ,".

The teen sighed irritably, pulling out the spoils dictated by the rules that were owed her. He turned and left saying, " I don't care if you did beat me, Seto Kaiba's still the best duelist ,".

" Tch, yeah, but only in his mind ," Carmen threw back.

Yami approached, " Quite the surly character, ne ?" he said offhandedly with a smirk. Carmen nodded exasperatedly.

" Well, I'm gonna take off now ," she replied, " sooo... see ya when I see ya, _whoever_ you are ,".

Yami's crimson eyes widened a fraction in surprise as she threw a_ kawaii_ smirk of her own back at him and walked away.

CCC-

" My lord Malik ," said the white-haired usurps' right hand man, kneeling obediently.

The teen looked up from his musing, " How many of my assassins are in Domino now ?" he asked sternly.

" Twenty sire ," replied the man. His master stood, rod in hand.

" Prepare the boat, we'll be leaving for Japan in the morning Rishid ," he commanded and turned to retire to his private chambers. Rishid nodded, understanding, and left briskly.

To Be Continued . . .

Please read and review, and I don't care if you flame, for I will use the fires to roast the marshmallows of your behind!

End of Chapter X-tra!

Carmen and Yugi ponder the new '_Duel Disc_'

Carmen - You know there something I've been wondering about.

Yugi - What that ?

Carmen - (holds up her duel disc) Why's it called a duel _disc_? Its not a disc.

Yugi - (looks at his) Well no, its not now, but when he came to Duelist Kingdom cause Pegasus kidnapped Mokuba, they _were_ discs.

Carmen - ( wasn't in duelist kingdom and has no idea) That must've spiced the game up, How would you play with it ?

Yugi - Well there were places that you put your card on the disc and then you threw it.

Carmen - Like a Frisbee? That would make a mess, Yugi, the cards would just go flying everywhere, you could defeat someone by paper cutting them into submission.

Yugi -(;) No, no, i worked alot like the ones we have.

Carmen - Well, there not discs _now_, it makes no sense.

Winged Tormentor - okay, I'm just gonna end it right here, this could go on for hours.


	19. Ch19 Judgment part one

**In The Shadow of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - You know the deal, the song lyrics and the original Yu-Gi-Oh don't belong to me, but Selene, Tekmessa, Chandra and Carmen are mine.

WT - I apologise for not updating for a while, I had planned to update more, but I had lots of college stuff to do before the fall semester started. However I am going to keep update and I will finih this fic. So don't worry

Chapter 19 - Judgment part one; Tekmessa's attack

_Watashi iru_..._koko de_..._imasu_

/ _What_ / The spikey-haired teen blinked, looking around; it was an endless field of silver mist. Though, he could have sworn he heard someone calling out to him.

_Watashi iru_..._o matsu_..._koto de imasu_...

The voice was soft, like the sound of wind chimes as it echoed a reply; the clouds took the shape of a person. / _Why_ .../ he wanted to call back to the voice /**what**_ are you waiting for_ / .

_Watashi iru _... _koko de o matsu anata imasu_...

_sou_...

_moshi mo anata e tsuku koko de_..._ anata e mitsukeru watashi_...

..._yakusoku_...

Yugi bolted up from his bed, his breath coming in short gasps /_ What in the _.../ he thought, with a deep breath. There was just something about that voice...it sounded so familiar, somehow.

-CCC-

- _It's here_ - a young woman confirmed silently - _That thing I've been chasing_ - , emerald-green wisps of hair tossed softly with the sea breeze and licked the sides of her face. her dark cinnamon skin and piercing, hot-gold eyes made it obvious she was a foreigner. The sun peaked over the horizon sending shafts of light racing across the water towards the island. She shifted around and stood. Time to go.

" _You know the deal and you lost_ ," _the young girl_'_s voice echoed coldly as she trained a 9mm hand gun on her victim_, "_ So its mine_ ,".

"_ H-h-here, t-take it ,_"_ said the storeclerk sliding the card across to the_ takara no hanta'_s feet_.

" Okay, did I forget anything ?" said Carmen, looking around _Let_'_s see, duel disc ; check, hagoromo ; check, duel disc ; check. That's everything_ she confirmed. Her eyes settled on the picture frame on the cabinent, she sighed softly to herself, _Why do I keep that_ ? she wondered pausingly then scoff at her own idiocy _Duh. its cause I_'_m a packrat_ .

Beep, beep, beep.

" Huh, what ?" the teen spazed, " Eleven o'clock, I can't be spacing out like this, I'm late ," the amber-eyed girl raced out of the _apato_, slamming the door behind.

-CCC-

Yami meandered through downtown / _There's no doubt in my mind that Malik's **ansatsusha no toranpu** are nearby watching our every move_ / he said to himself. He wasn't about to rush into his next confrontation, they were looking for _him_ after all, right?

-CCC-

_Shuuit_! _Shuuit_!

Two red-haired teens appeared before the emerald haired young woman, " Lady Tekmessa, the location is prepared to intercept ," said the first.

Tekmessa nodded solemnly, " Excellent ," she replied and turned to the girl who'd spoken, " Selene, you and Chandra take up your position's incase we have to deal with any ... interference. I'll take things from here ,".

" Understood ," the twins chimed simultaneously, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

- _Here I come little Carmen_ - .

" Phew," sighed Carmen practically collapsing as she sat down for a rest by a fountain. Sunlight sparkled on the surface of the water like the rhinestones in her _hagoromo_. She sighed again, alone with her thoughts, I'm worried... it feels like the walls are closing in on me again. I don't want ...I don't want to...

Abruptly the air stopped dead, a sharp chill went down the amber-eyed girl's spine _Huh_?..._what's this_?... _fluttering in my stomach_ ? she looked around _something bad_..._nearby_ .

Suddenly her eyes were captured in the unbreakable gaze of an almost identical pair of golden eyes. - _Yes Carmen_ - thought Tekmessa with vengeful desire pulsing through her aura - _Your mine now_ - .

-CCC-

" Dude you can't change the rules cause you don't like 'em, BC rules say you only get my _one _rarest card ," protested the duel.

His opponent, the nefarious Nagumo, was once again making trouble, " Fuck that, this card's shit !" he barked, grabbing the other guy by the collar, " So gimme the two rarest cards in your deck now ,".

The dispute was abruptly cut short by a long whistle. " Dueling foul ,". The two duelists paused as an eleven-year old kid with wild black hair lowered his whistle.

Nagmo scoffed, " buzz off _bozu_ , I'm busy ,".

" _Bozu_? I'm the official commissioner of the Battle City tournament, I will settle any and all dueling disputes and when it comes to the rules what I say goes ," the youth shot back.

" Yeah, or else _what_ ?" retorted the flaxen-haired teen undauntedly.

" Or else_ I_ settle the matter ," a dark voice interjected, the three turned to see none other than Seto Kaiba standing there with glare that could kill. " Mess with my brother and you mess with the entire Battle City Tournament, you got that you hack-job ?" the dueling ace glowered, " And just to make sure you don't do it again, I'm challenging you to a duel right now. However..." he opened his suitcase and displayed it's contents to Nagumo, " if you even want to give yourself the illusion of a chance of winning, then use these cards pump up the power of that decrepit deck of yours ,".

After helping himself to all the rare cards his heart desired he readied his duel disc for combat again. " With this deck and my skills I'll beat you no problem ," he sniggered confidently.

Seto cackled sinisterly, " I need only to play _this_ card to teach you a lesson ,".

" _I SUMMON GOD OF OBELISK !_".

-CCC-

" Your not running now are you ?" said the emerald haired young woman.

_Huh? Who's that ? _thought Carmen, regarding this weirdo that was confronting her. Her stomach twisted in a vaguely familiar, sickening way that made a shiver go down her spine, that's when it hit her _Wait !_ ...

"_ Hey watch where you're goin_'""_ Damn Kid !_"_ yelled irate pedestrians as she weaved her way through them. She didn't bother offering apologies._

_A shadowy figure dogged close behind her, skimming along the rooftops and avoiding the eyes of normal people._

"_ Heh heh, I thought you might be hiding ,_"_ laughed the shadow, _"_ Now. Its over, resign yourself to your fate ,_"

_She gritted her teeth and stepped back slightly, but her other escape route was covered by those weird creatures. Damn she cursed._

"_ If you run, those monsters will rip you to pieces ,_"_ the shadow told her, _"_ if you surrender I will be more benevolent ,_"

"_ Aaaaaaaargh ,_"_ the shadow snarled painfully, _"_ What the hell is that damn annoying flicking light ?_"_. The monsters disintegrated in the enveloping brightness, alone and feeling the light burn at her flesh, the shadow was forced to retreat also._

Carmen's eyes widened, " Its you ," she breathed horror-struck.

The shadow runner closed the distance between them, " You're not easy to track down you know, you hide among the humans well ," she said, " but I'm not letting you get away so easily this time ,". _What_ ... The young woman's hand shot out.

Suddenly something razor sharp cut through her _hagoromo _like paper and dug through her skin. It was enough to knock her to the ground, the sunlight reflected off what looked like thread. _Huh ? string_ ... she looked at the cuts on her arms and gingerly fingered the one across her cheek _sharp_... it clicked. " Wires...," the teen realized, " ... attached to her hands ?".

" Figured out my trick huh ?" she smirked, " here's another ," she tugged on the line the circlet flew to her hand as if it were a yo-yo, " I'll be taking the _diadem_ back if you don't mind ,". _Ah_..._my headband !_ she wanted to shout. Her body protested sharply as she got to her feet and she hissed softly at the burning in her wounds, _Where did_... _she go ?_ thought Carmen, scanning the area, but that weird assassin was gone. _Damn it !_ she cursed to herself _Oh Great! How am I suppose t...THERE_ ! . The amber-eyed duelist spotted her assailant making her escape and was seize by awe as the thief ran across the roof tops and leapt across the expanses like a leopard. _Toads have it_ she cursed again and took off impatiently after her.

-CCC-

" Lord Malik ," said Rishid, kneeling humbly before he continued, " moments ago the God of Obelisk was summoned within the Battle City limits, " The young man's interest he looked at his faithful vassal, " We've already identified the cards owner... Seto Kaiba ,".

" Hmm, is that so ?" replied Malik nonchalantly, " I guess this means were both after the cards now ,".

" You don't seem concerned my lord ,".

" Kaiba's no big shakes ," said the ivory haired teen matter-of-factly, " I can strip him of his Egyptian God card whenever I want. As I said before, the only thing that concerns me is the Pharaoh and his puzzle , ".

" Does this mean you intend to handle Kaiba personally sire ?" inquired Rishid.

" Only if need be ," he answered, " for now, dispatch Pandora to destroy little Yugi ,".

" Yes my lord ,".

-CCC-

/ _This is weird, I thought for sure we'd one of Malik's card assassins by now _/ said Yugi appearing next to his dark in spirit form.

/_ No news is good news aibou _/ replied the Pharaoh's spirit.

/ _Yeah, I suppose you're right_ / admitted the youth, it was uncomfortably quiet on Yami side of the link/ _Uh_... _Yami, are you listening ?_/ .

Actually, at the moment the spirit's attention was drawn to a familiar duelist running down the street towards them. She was uncharacteristically shouting obscenities at the roof of the building. /_What's she doing ?_/ he thought worriedly. Suddenly...

_WHAM !_

Said duelist ran straight into him, Yami's hand gripped her shoulders in surprise but, fortunately, thanks to the spirit's cat-like balance, both avoided a messy spill. " What wrong ?".

_Yugi-kun_ ... she thought blinking with soft amber confusion. No, it was the other one, she realized.

Why did he have to ask? It was obvious what was wrong, her pale sunrise colored hair was steaming unchecked around her face and there were paper-thin lesions all over her hands and on her face, " You're hurt ," he reiterated troubledly.

She winced slightly as his hand grazed the cuts on her arm, " I'm alright, but... I, someone stole my headband and I was ... " she trailed off for a moment looking around, " damn it I lost her !".

" Someone took your millennium item ?" he demanded sharply, grabbing the other teen's arms agitatedly.

" Yugi ..."

" Who was it ?".

" Yugi ,".

" What did they look like !".

" YUGI ," reprimanded grabbing his wrist, in a tone that almost struck the pharaoh as ..._scolding_. The slightly taller young man looked at her with slight surprise. She did not often find reasons to raise her voice and never to _him_. His violet-crimson eyes narrowed slightly at her and Carmen found herself almost backing down instinctively _No_ she chided at herself _Don't let him push you around like this !_ . " You're hurting me ," she said steadfastly.

His eyes widened with the realization and immediately released her, " I apologize ,".

The amber-eyed girl nodded absently, rubbing her arms, " its 'skay ," she replied, " I don't know who it was, but she wore all black ,". _Whatever it is, doesn't have anything to do with him_ she decided and took off while 'Yugi' pondered his actions.

" Carmen ..."

_Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile,_

_Tell me all the stories never-ending trove in the past,_

Yami saw the girl's retreating back round a corner and vanish, " Damnit !" he cursed, " Why 'd she run off like that ?". / _Reckless fool_ / .

/ _Yami, we have to go after her_ / argued Yugi from inside his heart/ _what if its a card assassin, she might be running straight into a trap_ / . With a still-slightly aggravated sigh, the spirit agreed and they went after her.

_Take me back to the land where my yearnings were gold._

_The key to open the door is in your hands,_

_Now fly me there..._

-CCC-

Tekmessa reached the roof of the parking garage, since work was suspended for the tournament it was all but, abandoned. She paused and looked back for her mark, the girl was nowhere in sight. - Damn, I must have lost her - she thought biting her tongue. Chandra and Selene appeared in twin swell of wind, kneeling at her feet.

" Get ready, the target will be here soon ," she commanded them.

-CCC-

_Time and tricks find their hand in never-ending storming winds,_

_Valkyries of destruction feel love and fight for rebirth._

Yami's wine-red eyes searched the area, she could not be far, her legs were shorter than his charge's. He stopped to catch his breath as he passed though the downtown park and closed his eyes, opening the extrasensory part of his being for the answer.

" Eee hee hee hee ," chuckled an aggravatingly loud voice, interrupting the young man's silence. The spirit's eyes snapped open, " L_oo_se something Y_uu_gi ?". It was a jester, clad in black and red harlequin.

/_Carmen_ / " where is she ?" he demanded sharply, " tell me _NOW _!".

The clown shrugged playfully and replied, " Why don't you try walking that way, seventy-two paces and into that tent ,". With that said, it sprung behind a bush and vanished.

_Constellations demand in my dreams meant to come, _

_The key to open the door is in your hands,_

_Now take me there_...

/ _Can we really believe what he says _/ thought the spirit incredulously.

/ _There's no choice_ / replied his aibou /_ Malik must be using her as bait, that's why he had one of his hunter's grab that tiara-thing_ / . No alternatives in sight, the spirit proceeded towards the tent.

The jester popped out of a magic box, waving his hand in a come-hither way, " This way Y_uu_gi ," it teased, " my master's waiting ,".

_I believe,_

_I believe in fantasies invisible to me,_

The pharaoh followed his guide into the box, however the clown had disappeared yet again, suddenly the doors shut behind him. Suddenly there was a loud "_ Bang _" and smoke filled the compartment.

-CCC-

_Here ?_ questioned Carmen, feeling a tug on her heart as she looked up at the parking garage. Somehow... she knew it was nearby. _Weird_ .

_In the realm of misery I'm searching for a sun._

_To the door of mysteries,_

" Sister Selene, someone's standing at the foot of the edifice ," alerted Chandra. Her equally curious twin immediately got to her feet and joined the first in scoping out the intruder. A pale- haired, dark-skinned teenage girl stood on the sidewalk below, the sparkling 'stars' on her pitch-black jacket catching the sunlight. " Its ...her, it has too be ," said Selene.

" Are you sure its her? She's _really_ pretty ," rebuked her twin, " I thought she'd be some walking terror the way the elders go on about her ,".

" Lady Tekmessa says you can never judge a book by it cover ," said the first wisely.

" _OOOh _..." said Chandra, understanding, "... What's a book ?".

_I'm wandering down,_

_I'm searching down a secret sound._

When you lose something, you'll always find it the last place you look ; that's what people always say, but if you find what your looking for, then continuing to look for it is ridiculous...

..._Right?_

Carmen ran through the vacant levels despite her body's protests, _Its here, its close! I know it_ her mind urged her on. Unnoticed by the teen, behind her the light vanished, replaced by the all consuming darkness.

_Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile,_

_Tell me all the stories never-ending trove in the past, _

A figure she immediately recordnized was leaning against a pillar with icy indifference. She regarded the young duelist with cool amber eyes of her own, " So you've finally come, Sekhmet ," she smirked with false warmth, " Welcome ... to the twilight of your destiny ,".

_Take me back to the land where my yearnings were gold._

_The key to open the door is in your hand, _

_Now take me there_...

..._ To the band of twilight_.

To Be Continued ...


	20. Ch20 Judgment part two

**In The Shadow of The Prophecy**

Disclaimer - Same as before(for other witty disclaimers please review the previous 19 chapters)

Chapter twenty - Judgment part two ; Entrapment 

Last time :

_The pharoah followed his guide into the box, however the clown had disappeared yet again, the doors unnotedly shut behind him. Suddenly there was a loud _"_ Bang _"_ and smoke filled the compartment._

_Carmen ran through the vacant levels dispite her body's protests, Its here, its close! I know it ! her mind urged her on. Unnoticed by the teen, behind her the light vanished, replaced by the all consuming darkness. _

_An emerald- haired figure she immediatly recordnized was leaning against a pillar with icy non-chalance. She regarded the young deulist with cool amber eyes of her own, _"_ So you've finally come, Sekhmet ,_"_ she smirked with false warmth, _"_ Welcome ... to the twilight of your destiny ,_"

-CCC-

Carmen took a moment to scope out her surrounding What are these wierd markings she pondered surveying the walls, strange, geometric arrays blanketed them They're everywhere, even on the floor and the ceiling . She wasn't exactly sure why, but, these foreign designs put her ill at ease. Her focus reverted back to the mysterious cat-buglar, " One question ; who _are_ you ?".

-CCC-

Meanwhile, Tea was wondering around downtown, searching for everyone's favorite spikey haired duelist. A search affore-mentioned that was, so far, fruitless. ' _This is so different from Duelist Island_ ' she thought sitting down on a bench for a break, '_ Now I have to run around the whole city to find either of them. We were always together before_ ,'.

" _Speaking of strange, you guys are kinda strange too aren't you? Do you guys are always in your little group _?".

" '_Strange'? What do you mean? Its because were friends_ ,".

Suddenly the sunlight vanished as someone clapped their hands over her eyes and teased, " Guess who !". Instinctively the brunnette punched blindly with all her strength.Wham! " Huh?..._Tristen_ ?".

" Why ya gotta hit so _ha_rd ?" mumbled the swirly-eyed teen, lying on the ground.

" Why'd you have to sneak up behind me like that ," she snapped back.

-CCC-

" Just who the _hell_ are you ,". It was the question burning in the Carmen's psyche ; there had to be a reason that this woman dogged her for so long and she wanted to know what it was.

" Who am ...I ?" the young woman, in an agrivated tone as though she should damn well _already_ know.

Yet Carmen had no idea.

It was evident in the girl voice, the texture of her voice as she spat out the question, she had no idea what her purpose was here. She didn't have any idea what she _did_. " You idiot ," she growled under her breath, " you forgot ,".

_What'd she say? I couldn't hear it_ thought the youth, cocking her head to the side, " Could you repeat that ?".

-_ Damn, she really doesn't know_ - said the young woman to herself, -_ Its almost a shame to kill her. So many unanswered questions_ - . She centered herself again and replied, " We are many things and have many names, so just call _me_ Tekmessa ,".

Tekmessa Carmen repeated to herself, " Okay _Tekmessa_, give me back my headband ,".

The emerald haired girl's brow arched delicately and reached into her red cape and retieved the familiar golden circlet. " I take it this is what you mean correct?" she said.

The teen grated her teeth tensely, knowing this strange woman had her at her mercy. " _Yes_ ,".

" Its not a 'headband' girl, its a _diadem_ ," replied Tekmessa, " a crown, " she fiddled around with it a bit, " its been lost for centuries. Partly, I suppose, because its been masqurading as a millennium item. Althought for some reason, even thought _I'm_ the one holding it, its not returning to its true form ,".

_Millennium item_ ..._true form ?_ " The diadem, tiara, or whatever you said it was, is _mine_ ," she said, " even though you've got it, it rightfully belongs to me ,". _How can I get it back from her though ? How can I _... , then she realized, somewhere in the reccesses of herself ; Tekmessa can't just _take_ this thing. Somehow there was something else that the amber-eyed woman required for her first. A ..." A duel ,".

" Huh ," the young woman looked up at her, " What did you say ?".

" A _duel _," Carmen repeated more clearly, activizing her duel disc, " You have to duel me first ,". _Duel, duel,_ echoed a little voice inside her head.

" A duel ?" echoed Tekmessa, the term was vaguely familiar, as was the strange weapon her target had brandished.

_SSS_

_Tekmessa bowed before the elderly white-haired woman with her escort before departing on her misson, _"_ My daughter, our people have not left this place for centuries and the world has changed much _,"_ she said._

"_ I don't care what the world out there is like, this time I **will** find Sekhmet and I **will** avenge my mother's murder _,"_ replied the emerald-haired teen coldly._

" _Tekmessa _,"_ the old woman scolded, _"_ It is not our way to seek vengence, as our champion you should know this well. It is to protect man's world from that wickedness and to purify that power as it returns to us _,"

" _Yes, Wise One, I will carry that in my heart _,"_ said Tekmessa, eyes trained on the floor._

"_Take this ._" _The young woman looked up with an audible sound of surprise as the elder presant a bizarre article. " It is an arm-sword called _'_duel disc_'_, where you are going, this will more powerful than any sword I can give you _,".

_Tekmessa inspected it more closely, the edge was dull nor were there any poisonous points or hidden daggers. How could **this** pass for a weapon? " Honorable elder, I don't understand _,"_ she said baffledly, _"_ How can **this** be more powerful than a sword ?_"

" _When the time comes you will understand its power my child ,_".

_SSS_

_ - I wonder what these peices of paper are - said the emerald-haired woman thought, admiring the imaging on each. - they came with the duel disc, but this one just looks like a map peice - . There was a only week on the ship and in that time she had to find out what these were for and master them, but as she trugded back to her room in steerage, she was now closer to the answer than that morning. " Oh elder you could atleast tell me what these are for ,_".

"_ And that wipes out the rest of your lifepoints dude _,"_ - Huh ?- she looked over to a table where some boys were playing a game of some sort. - Hey, wait, they have these peices of paper too - she realized scanning the tabletop, - So then these are a ...game? How a silly little children's game supposed to help me fight a demon ? - ._

_It was about that time the group at the table noticed they'd collected a spectator and saw the cards in her hand, _"_Do you play too ,_"_ asked one. _

"_ Umm, well, actually _,"_ Tekmessa hated to admit a lack of intellect to **anyone**. _"_ I just got these, could you teach me how to utilize them ?_".

"_ Sure ,_" _the youth replied happily._

_It took a few turns before the young woman was comfortable with the flow of the game. No duel, she reminded herself, duel._

"_ Hey, you beat me ,_"_ said her tutor in disbelief, snapping Tekmessa out of her reverie._

"_ Huh ?_"_. she looked up at the surprised faces._

"_ Didn't you say youve never played before ?_".

_Yeah, she did._

_SSS-end_

" Oh yeah, I remember ," she mumbled to herself, she reached back into her cloak again and pulled out the duel disc, placing it on her arm. " I see, you want a duel hmm? Then we'll duel, but when I win, I take your life ,".

_My life ?_ " What if I win ?" argued Carmen.

" That's _not_ going to happen ," said Tekmessa, " believe me ,". Suddenly a chilling, black cloud billowed out behind the young woman, swirling around the two. She wasn't sure, but somehow the foul energy that was filling the air and flooding her senses was vaguely familar.

-CCC-

Yami coughed hoarsely, thankfully the smoke had dispersed, no longer clogging his throat and making his eyes water. As far as he could make out though, he hadn't left the box, / _I'm just about done with this wild goose chase_ / he grimanced silently and push open the door. / _What?_... / .

It was a near vacant white tile room, this was certainly a surprise to the spirit, /_ We must have fallen through a trap door_ / he surmised, exiting the magic box. There were no furnishings to be found as he took in his surroundings, none other than a desk and a computer. Abruptly the screen brought up a BC profile, _his_ profile.

Motou Yugi

Class : S

Rarest card : Dark Magician...

" Huh ?". the screen turned an eerie iridecent crimson and a pentical star traced across its interface projecting the form of ...

...his dark magician?

" Yugi ," it sneered at him, " you unworthy fool, how weak your deck would be without me. Only a real magician could understand my power, you are obsolete. So prepare to lose me to a true master of illusion ,".

/_ A true master of illusion _/ he repeated to himself, so that was what was going on. " Enough posturing, come out an d face me," said the duelist king.

" Very well Yugi, but you may regret it when I defeat you ," snickered a masked man stepping out from the shadows, " Greeting and salutations, I am Pandora, the illusionist ,".

Don't tell me, let me guess ; if I want to leave I have to defeat you in a duel, correct ?" he drawled.

" You guessed right Yugi ," replied Pandora, " but if you ask me this room's a bit cramped, so I've prepared a special ring for our match ,".

" Very well ," said Yami, he had a rescue to get back to.

-CCC-

Carmen's eyes widen, it shouldn't be possible, it _couldn't_ be possible... and yet her opponent was conjuring the darkness just like...she shook her head. How? " How..can you... " she started.

" We're not as resricted in shadowmancy as mortal like yourself ," replied Tekmessa looking down her nose at the girl, " I can harbor this power in my very being and I don't need some dusty artifact to control it, this will be unlike anything you've ever exprienced, Sekhmet, I assure you ,".

" Who's this '_we_' you keep talking about, huh? Are you working for someone Tekmessa ?" the youth plunged forward accusingly.

" Relax little girl, _I_'_m_ the only one you need to worry about right now ," retorted the young woman, " so get ready, its time to duel ,".

**DUEL!**

Tekmessa - 4000Lp

Carmen - 4000Lp

" I'll begin this 'game' ," said Tekmessa, pulling a card from her hand, " With Lady Ninja Yae in attack position and one card facedown ,".(1100/200) The lime-haired warrior manifested itself in a flurry of iridescent light, poised to strike.

With that the duel spun around to Carmen, who drew her card, " I'll summon Pikeru, my white magician and then put this facedown for later. Back to you ,". A childish pink-haired mage popped out of a swirl of hearts and stars, smiling brightly.(1200/0)

The emerald-haired young woman drew her next card and gave a sardonic scoff, " I shall take the liberty of putting that pathedic excuse for a sorceress out of her misery, with this : the polymerazation magic card ," she countered, pressing a button on the duel disc, " and I'll use it to combine my Hibikime and Queen's double to create Empress Judge ,".

" BC rules say fusion monsters have to wait a turn before they can attack, my turn again ?" retorted the teen.

" Wishful thinking little girl, I have a magic card to activate ," answered her adversary, " Final countdown ,". She placed the card in the spell/trap recordnition interface, " Notice the ring of fire above our heads. Each represents a turn and by paying two thousand lifepoints I'll limit the length of the this duel to twenty turns,".

_ That's not good, I don't know if I can beat her in twenty turns_ thought Carmen, concern sweeping into her features. A ring of torchlike flames lit up the air above them. She glanced around at the eerie dark fog blanketing the area _I have a feeling there's probably some other twist in this I gonna like less _ . " Its my turn ," she drew (20) _Please be good_ she prayed. Zolga, not a bad card, but she needed some assistance. Fortunately there were two cards waiting her hand that were perfect. " I summon Zolga (1700/1200) and I play two cards facedown. Now Pikeru, attack Lady Ninja Yae with White Magic Circle ,". The chibi magician took a deep breath and Xed her arms across her chest, A ring-shaped insigna appeared below her feet and with a cry Pikeru sent the light coursing at the lime-haired ninja.

The opposing monster gave a cry burst into a thousand points of light. Tekmessa winced painfully as a thin carge of electricity bit her hand - _That was **not** supposed to happen _- she growled to herself.

Meanwhile her opponent was in a quandary, did she really just see what she thought she did ? It was only there for a split second, but she could've sworn some some sort of electric charge just gave the other girl a zap. The first fireball fizzled out above her head.

" I draw ," said Tekmessa sharply, still frazzled, " I set one card facedown and attack with Empress Judge , Light of righteousness !". The red-haired monster let loose a wicked blast, Zolga vanished in its intesity and died. " Now comes the fun part ,".

Carmen blinked as the light died down, _Fun part ?_ she wondered. Unfortunely she didn't have to wait to find out as the same electrical current raced thought _her _body. " Ahhhhhhh !".

-CCC-

Great. Locked in a basement with a deranged psychopath that might quite possibly be working for Malik. /_ I suppose its all in a days work_ / said the spirit to himself as they entered the 'dueling arena'. It looked more like some sort of crazy circus tent.

" I see you've notice its empty, I hope you like a good matinee ," said Pandora with that creepy wide mouthed grin again. Inwardly he cringed, but there was no doubt in Yami's mind he could best this lunatic. They came to a table, shuffling their decks and cutting their opponents.

" I've got my eye on you, so don't try to pull a fast one on me Pandora ,".

" I assure you, card trick are strictly for ametuers ," rebuked Pandora, " but if you insist... nothing in my hat...nothing up my sleeve ,". Suddenly the spirit discovered he was moving backwards, a pair of shackles around his ankles. " Heh heh heh, relax, were both snapped in ," said his opponent, " See, theres an extra downside to losing ,".

An ominously glowing buzz saw appear, spinning under a line with little hash marks in it. Yami figured out the set up immediatly /_ Those are life points, the closer they get to zero the closer the disc gets_ / . " From the look on your face, I can skip the most of the rules ," said Pandora, " the box at your feet displays your opponents lifepoints. When they hit zero the lid will open and the key to your shackles will be revealed ,".

/ _Sounds simple enough, but this guy's probably got a lot more tricks to trip me up in this match_ / he said to himself.

-CCC-

" AHHHHH !".

" Now do you see? Losing life points will give you a nasty little jolt ," smiled her opponent with an icy look in her eyes, " enough of it will completely numb your body and leave you defenseless ,".

Carmen felt herself slip to the floor, that was a wicked twist, it felt like she was burning up from the inside out. " Who are you working for Tekmessa ?" she asked breathlessly, " Who...is it ?".

The emerald haired young woman's eyes widened, a frisson of fury passed through her, " What ?".

To Be Continued ...

WT : Next time on _Shadow of the Prophecy_, the connection between Carmen and Tekmessa is revealed. A dark tale draws out a darker power as this match concludes...


End file.
